Married at First Sight... but did they make it work? Show teases blazing rows and stalled sex lives as couples prepare to reveal whether they'll stay hitched after TV experiment
- The two Married at First Sight couples will decide whether to stay together
- Tonight is the final episode of the series and the end of the 7-week experiment
- Stephanie and Ben had blazing rows and went on a failed make or break holiday
- Harriet struggled to feel a spark with Richard but tried to make things work
They married each other as complete strangers as part of a controversial TV experiment - but are the Married At First Sight couples headed straight for divorce?
This is the question that will be answered in the series finale of the reality show when it airs on Channel 4 tonight.
It hasn't been a smooth journey for either couple. The initial attraction at the altar between police officer Stephanie, 32, and millionaire businessman Ben, 36, eventually gave way to blazing rows as the seven-week experiment progressed.
Meanwhile financial advisor Harriet, 32, and police sergeant Richard, 28, have repeatedly turned to a sex therapist in a bid to find a spark in their relationship.
After seven weeks of living together, both couples will have to tell the show's relationship experts whether they will stay married - or seek a divorce.
In the finale the couples will decide whether to stay married or seek a divorce, and Stephanie was left sobbing just a few days before making the decision
Stephanie and Ben, both disillusioned after a series of toxic relationships, formed an instant bond when they met for the first time on their wedding day.
But after a blissful honeymoon during which they couldn't keep their hands off each other, the newlyweds began to quarrel over minor niggles like being late for appointment, or leaving the TV on during dinner.
And tonight's finale finds the couple on a make or break holiday in Cyprus, during which a distraught Stephanie is seen sobbing at the table in a romantic restaurant after a row.
She also opens up about their dwindling sex life on the show, saying of her new husband: 'He won't give me a cuddle, he won't hold my hand.
'[Mine] and Ben's sexual intimacy has stopped and it has affected me, 100 per cent. It is making me feel less secure.'
In Thursday night's series finale Stephanie and Ben will reveal whether they are going to stay married, or go their separate ways
Stephanie also admits that Ben made her 'like a bunny boiler' for trying to get in touch with him while he was working abroad.
Ben flew to Portugal to seal a property deal, but avoided his wife's texts while there and even refused to tell her where he was staying.
'Sometimes Stephanie is a little bit overpowering, a little bit insecure and a little bit smothering,' he says of his new bride.
Meanwhile fans of the show saw their fellow newlyweds, Harriet and Richard, turn to resident relationship expert Jo Coker as they struggled to establish a romantic spark.
But their prospects still appear bleak in Thursday night's finale, with Harriet admitting to finding it hard to view her new husband in a romantic light.
'It's really difficult to know that somebody's more into you than you are into them,' she says.
'It makes you feel uncomfortable and not a nice person for not feeling the same.
'There's almost a bit of guilt there of wanting to feel that way but equally not feeling it.'
They meet with Coker again in the final episode, who tells them that any relationship - including one as unorthodox as their own - requires work in order to succeed.
Of the thousands of people who applied to take part in the TV experiment, Harriet and Richard presented the strongest match according to the data experts used to assess compatibility.
The other couple Harriet and Richard struggle to connect as she admits she doesn't feel any chemistry with him
In a last ditch attempt to salvage things, Harriet and Richard plan a string of dates, from a romantic night at the theatre to a fun trip to an ice rink.
Coker says: 'In all relationships it's very easy to give up when you hit an obstacle perhaps more so for these couples in one way because they don't know each other and they haven't got a history yet.
'I think they are going to have to work hard to give each other that time and space, and learning from each other, learning to perhaps change the way they talk and how they interact.
'I think if they make the effort it's got great hope.'
But viewers will have to wait to find out whether Coker is right. Both couples' decisions will be revealed in tonight's episode at 9pm.
In the last episode Stephanie had said she could see herself falling in love with Ben
Stephanie and Ben had hit it off instantly as they met for the first time at the altar to get married
It was a slow burner for Harriet and Richard as she was shy and awkward during the ceremony
The Married at First Sight finale airs tonight at 9pm on Channel 4
And the not so happily ever afters: Where are the Married at First Sight couples now?
SERIES ONE
JASON AND KATE
Jason Knowles and Kate Stewart appeared in the first series of Channel 4's controversial matchmaking series.
In the season finale it was revealed that the couple had split after the groom signed up to online dating service Tinder.
Jason and Kate split after it was revealed that the groom had signed up to dating app Tinder
He revealed the couple never consummated the relationship and said: ‘It’s a very personal question but I’ll be straight with you, nothing happened.’
While it is not possible to get a divorce within a year of marriage, if the union is not consummated, it can be annulled at any point after the wedding.
SAM AND JACK
Sam McDonald, 30, and former para-trooper Jack Finn-Kelcey initially found love depsite the fact that they didn't marry.
Sam and Jack never made it down the aisle, they did enjoy a few months dating but also eventually parted
Sam quit the show but eventually the pair met and fell for each other organically.
However, just a few months later the couple were reported to have split. Jack said at the time: 'We broke up. Rather unexpected and a bit sad but there you go.'
EMMA AND JAMES
Emma Rathbone and James Ord-Hume were the longest lasting couple of the first series of Married at First Sight - however, they too ended in divorce.
Events organiser Emma, 32, and 33-year-old James, a university administrator split after nine months of marriage in December 2015.
Emma and James were the longest lasting couple of series one, however, after nine months of marriage they divorced
Neither found the other attractive at first sight — ‘We have some work to do in that area’ was how Emma tactfully put it on camera — and it seems that however much they tried, that spark never came.
‘Look, we had a sex life,’ says Emma. ‘It just wasn’t always top of the agenda as it would be for most newlyweds, put it that way. I had feelings for James, but we weren’t passionate about each other.’
Since then they have met once at an ‘awkward’ lunch, where they returned a few belongings they had left at each other’s flats. ‘I don’t think either of us was really sure how to behave,’ says James.
SERIES TWO
CAROLINE AND ADAM
Caroline and Adam were the success story of series two but she later revealed on Instagram that their marriage has not worked out.
Caroline and Adam were the longest lasting couple from series two but they too parted ways with the bride selling her dress online
An eagle-eyed fan noticed the pair were not ringing the New Year in together and when asked if they had split, Caroline simply replied: 'Yes we did.'
The flame-haired operations co-ordinator even put her Vera Wang wedding dress up for sale online for £850, including dry cleaning.
LUCIE AND STEVE
Viewers were left cringing at the awkward post-wedding conversation between the bride and groom with the couple discussing Game of Thrones to fill the award silence.
Lucie and Steve had a very short lived marriage of just six weeks before splitting
The couple were only able to withstand the lacklustre relationship for a grand total of six weeks.
Despite going their separate ways the pair are said to have remained friends, occasionally meeting for a coffee.
MELISSA AND CLARK
Clark and Melissa quickly became fan favourites following their appearance in Married at First Sight's second series.
Fan favourites Melissa and Clark gave their marriage a good go, but despite their efforts chose to go their separate ways
The comitted groom even showed his commitment to his mystery bride by making the move from London to Milton Keynes.
However, despite fans' pleas for the couple to stay married the relationship deterioated and the pair split after five months of marriage.
SARA AND ADAM
Although their big day was relatively drama-free this couple got off to a rocky start during their honeymoon.
Sara and Adam's wedding went well but the honeymoon was less successful and the pair parted after three months
Sara was left fuming after Adam got a little carried away with the wine and he received some stern words.
While it may not have been the best start, eight weeks into the relationship Sara moved in to Adam's flat in the hope to give their marriage a go.
However, it wasn't to be and a month later the couple split though admitted that they hadn't regretted the process and remain friends.
SERIES THREE
STEPHANIE AND BEN
Stephanie and Ben had an instant chemistry, and both called the other their perfect match when they tied the note.
Stephanie and Ben had hit it off instantly as they met for the first time at the altar to get married
They couldn't keep their hands off each other during their honeymoon, but things quickly turned sour when they struggled to live together.
Ben got cold feet and his behaviour started to worry his new bride, as he left his wedding ring at home, stopped sleeping with her and even fled to Portugal without telling her where she was staying.
Despite a few niggles, the pair decided to stay married and spoke about having a family together in the future.
HARRIET AND RICHARD
This couple were deemed the strongest match in the process by the experts, but it wasn't meant to be.
Richard tried his best to make his new wife feel comfortable and tried to woo her with romantic dates, but Harriet never felt the spark.
Harriet and Richard never really hit it off as she didn't feel any chemistry for the police sergeant
In the series finale they said they were filing for divorce after sleeping in separate bedrooms just a week into living together.
The couple decided to remain friends, but Richard expressed regret that they hadn't given the marriage another chance.
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