Married At First Sight: Yorkshire couple who tied the knot as strangers still going strong

Owen Jenkins and Michelle Walder are the success story of Channel 4’s British version of Married At First Sight. The reality series involves potential romantic partners being matched following intensive tests and assessments, then legally tying the knot, having never set eyes on one other before.

The couple tied the knot in March 2020, then spent the first lockdown together – and now their union has lasted longer than any of the programme’s previous marriages.

Before applying for the show, Owen already lived in Sheffield, and Michelle moved to the city from Sussex in August 2020. They moved into their new home together last February.

In a post on the couple’s joint Instagram account to mark two years since the day they were ‘matched’ by the show’s experts, Michelle said thinking about the last two years “blows my mind”.

A post on the couple’s joint Instagram account said: “Two years since I found out I was marrying this handsome man. When I sit back and think about it, the last two years really does blow my mind.

"I find it INSANE the fact that I didn’t know anything about him except that first name, and now we’ve been married almost two years and lived in our new home for one! Owen is so incredibly kind, silly, funny, thoughtful, loving, handsome (and annoying… cough cough cough leave those presents alone…) and I feel just so incredibly lucky every day.”

Another post said: “Forever grateful to be part of this team.”