UK Married At First Sight couple: ‘The experts got it spot on – now we’re having a baby!’

A year ago, Ally Acklan was preparing to marry a man she’d never met. She’d signed up to Channel 4 show Married At First Sight and couldn’t wait to start life with her mystery partner.

But due to the pandemic, the wedding was cancelled at the eleventh hour, leaving Ally distraught.

Yet Paul Todd, her love match, refused to give up. The train driver asked TV producers to put the pair in touch and they consequently fell in love over Skype. Now, nearly a year later, they are expecting their first baby and couldn’t be happier.

Ally tells Closer, “It’s mind-blowing – this pregnancy is such an amazing surprise. When our wedding was cancelled, I was devastated. I’d never have believed that a year down the line, Paul and I would have found each other and be having a baby girl. I longed to fall in love and start a family, and now that dream’s come true.”

When Ally applied for Married At First Sight in 2019, she’d been single for three years. The UK version of the controversial dating show is slightly different to the scandal-filled series Down Under.

In both shows applicants are put through rounds of rigorous interviews and tests, before being paired up by a panel of matchmaking gurus, and then meeting for the first time on their wedding day.

But the Australian version of the hit show sees all the married couples mixing together at weekly dinners and commitment ceremonies, which provides explosive reality TV, whereas the UK version doesn’t have that and is treated as more of a serious experiment.

Ally, 35, says, “I’d had a four-year relationship that ended in my 20s. I really wanted to meet someone and settle down and loved the idea that a panel of experts would find my perfect match.

“I said I wanted someone kind, loving and romantic, and in January last year, the show’s psychologist said they’d found me my perfect fit. All I knew was that his name was Paul.”

Over the next six weeks, Ally was filmed choosing her wedding dress and enjoying a hen party with her four bridesmaids.

She says, “I knew the wedding venue was in London, but the exact location was kept a secret. I was nervous, but I didn’t have any doubts. I trusted the experts and my family were supportive, too.”

But in the same week in March that the wedding was planned, fears surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic were heightening, forcing the production company to cancel the ceremony with just three days’ notice. Ally says, “Two other couples had married the weekend before and I wish it had been us. Although I didn’t know Paul, I already thought of him as my husband. I was devastated to think we might never meet.”

Thankfully, the pair met online over Skype the following week. “I wore a black jumper and red lipstick,” recalls Ally, from Worthing, Sussex. “I was so nervous, I felt sick! When I finally saw Paul for the first time I thought, ‘Wow, he’s attractive’, then the conversation just flowed. He told me about Weston Super-Mare, where he lives, and we spoke about why we’d applied for the show.”

Over the next few weeks, the couple chatted for three hours every day.

She says, “We had so much in common, from our love of dogs to motorbikes. Paul made me smile through lockdown and we’d Skype while going out for local walks, showing off our neighbourhoods to each other.

“Three weeks after we met, Paul posted me a love poem with a note saying he was falling in love with me. I texted him straight away to say I felt the same. We even talked about starting a family.”

In July, four months after they should have married, the couple finally met as lockdown restrictions were eased.

Ally says, “I was already working from home with my job in insurance, so it was easy for me to work remotely. We decided to bubble up and he came to collect me. When his car pulled up, I was so excited I jumped in and kissed him straight away! There was an instant physical connection.

“Over the next few weeks, we cooked for one another and took Paul’s labradoodle Ozzy for walks. I missed my family, but we were so happy I decided to stay.”

Check out: Married At First Sight Australia - which couples are still together?

Then, in October, Ally discovered she was pregnant. She says, “We were surprised, but felt so blessed too. I had terrible morning sickness at first and felt wiped out, but Paul cooked and looked after me.”

Last month, a scan revealed the pair are expecting a girl and have decided they’ll name her Penelope, after Ally’s mum. Ally says, “She’s due in June and, last week, I felt her kick for the first time. The pregnancy has brought us even closer together.

“Paul hasn’t proposed yet, but when we do marry, I’ll definitely wear the dress I bought for the show. Sadly though, this time I won’t have a TV production company to organise our wedding for us!”

Of the other couples who managed to tie the knot on the show, Michelle Walder, 26, and Owen Jenkins, 32, are still happily married almost a year on. Meanwhile, David, 56, and Shareen, 47 – who were the oldest couple to appear on the show – split after just 48 hours.

Ally says, “We watched the series, and it made us very thankful that we’re together and excited that we still have a wedding to look forward to.

“I can’t believe I’ve found Mr Right and fallen pregnant, thanks to the show, in less than a year. I’ve found my happy-ever -after and I’m so thankful to the experts for matching us.”

Paul adds, “I was so disappointed when our wedding was cancelled and told producers that if they didn’t put us in touch, I was prepared to message every Ally on Facebook until I found the woman I was supposed to marry! Now, I feel so lucky I have to pinch myself. Ally’s such a beautiful person and I can’t wait to be a dad.”

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Matchmaker Paul C Brunson: ‘We knew instantly that they were a perfect match’

Married At First Sight’s professional matchmaker, Paul C Brunson, says, “Paul and Ally are an incredible couple. We all knew it – Jen, Angela (the other matchmakers on the show) and myself had no debate. We knew instantly that they were a perfect match.

“Ally and Paul, as well as another couple, were supposed to get married on a weekend. We were preparing for the wedding - I’d even picked out my tuxe! – then, two days before, because of the growing concern surrounding the COVID-19 virus, the wedding had to be cancelled. It was crushing for everyone.

“But I have high hopes for them and wish them all the best.”

Follow Ally and Paul on Instragram at @unseen_couple.

Get the best celeb interviews in Closer magazine each week.