Five years ago, Owen Jenkins and Michelle Walder met and immediately got married on Channel 4’s Married at First Sight UK.
Now the couple, who are one of four couples who are still together after meeting on MAFS UK, are parents to their daughter Jessica and live happily together. On Friday (March 14), they celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary.
Sharing a carousel of images of the pair together, including photos from their wedding day, Michelle wrote a sweet tribute to her husband on the Instagram page they share, MAFS Owen and Michelle. She wrote: “I mean it is literally insane that this was 5 years ago. Time has felt like the weirdest thing, in one way it has flown and in another it feels like a lifetime ago.
“How lucky we have to had so many amazing memories and adventures already. I couldn’t have imagined when I stood ready to walk into that room 5 years ago, that this would be our life. A wonderful, cheeky little girl, an amazing home and a partner by my side to make every day that little bit better.
“I remember asking for exactly that, a partner. And Owen is that and more. He supports me, he challenges me when I need to be challenged, he makes me laugh and he holds my hand through every day. I just didn’t think it was possible to feel love like this, with our little family.Happy 5 years Owen, can’t wait for the rest of our lifetime together.”
Owen, a Sheffield IT worker, and Michelle, a teacher from Sussex, wed as strangers on March 14 March 2020 after being matched on series five of the hit dating show. The show was a little different then to how viewers know it now - there were no dinner parties, no commitment ceremonies and no tasks set by the experts. Instead, the couples simply married and moved in together and, in more of a fly-on-the-wall documentary style, cameras followed what naturally unfolded. In Owen and Michelle’s case, it was true love.
A producer from the show has revealed how she knew the couple were meant to be as they mark their milestone. Commenting on a photo the couple shared of their wedding day on one of their previous wedding anniversarys, Emma Kosminsky said: “This photo reminds me (not only of the day) but the month leading up to the wedding when every time I would separately film/interview you both you’d both answer the EXACT same answer for every question and me and Kieran would look at each other and be like… omg they’re the same person.”
Dr Angela Smith, Genevieve Gresset and Paul Brunson were the team of relationship experts who matched the pair. Unlike the couples who appear on the show now, Owen and Michelle did legally get married just moments after they first met. The format of the show was changed for the sixth season in 2021, which saw producers adopt the format of the Australian version of the show which is what we see today.
The couple, who are the pairing who have been together the longest having met on the UK version of the hugely popular dating show, welcomed their baby girl in December 2023. They initially settled in Sheffield together but moved down south to be closer to Michelle’s family in 2023.
Michelle has recently launched a podcast for children aged five and up, packed with fun facts, silly stories and gibberish jokes called You’re Kidding Me.
