There’s a certain pleasure that comes with remembering a certain celeb couple years after they last entered your mind. Like finally discovering that word on the tip of your tongue, jumping up from your chair and fist punching the air in triumph or finding a top you forgot you had. Endlessly satisfying.
In the name of that curious little joy, we’re finding out where the reality tv lovers are now. Have they managed to dodge the reality tv curse or did the romance die a death once the show was over? This is investigative journalism at its peak, folks.
From the Love Island relationships that have stood the test of time outside the villa to the showmances that fizzled out shortly after the cameras stopped rolling and the Big Brother meet-cutes that blossomed into something beautiful, keep reading for a round-up of how it started vs how it’s going – the reality tv couples edition.
1. Mario Marconi & Lisa Appleton (Big Brother)
Status: Split.
Cast your minds back to 2008 and the ninth series of fly on the wall reality show Big Brother (RIP) and you might remember the power couple that was Mario and Lisa. They were one of the first couples to enter the BB house and even got engaged whilst they were on the show. Sadly, after eight years together the power couple divorced in 2013, reportedly after the heartache and stress of being duped by a conman who promised them their own reality tv show but did a runner with their money.
2. Heidi & Spencer Pratt (The Hills)
Status: Married.
Heidi and Spencer met when they appeared on the MTV show The Hills together in 2006 and started dating the following year, much to bestie Lauren Conrad’s dismay. LC and Heidi’s friendship never recovered but Speidi are still going strong all these years later. They eloped in 2008 and welcomed their first child Gunner Stone in 2017 and the rest, as they say, is still unwritten.
3. Lauren Speed & Cameron Hamilton (Love Is Blind)
Status: Married.
The Love Is Blind stars met on the set of the dating show where singles try to find a match (and get engaged) without seeing one another face-to-face and from that moment they’ve been all in.
They tied the knot on day 40 of the show which was filmed in 2018 and celebrated their third anniversary in November last year, sharing wholesome tributes on their Instagram feeds. They’ve even written a book together called Leap of Faith: Finding Love The Modern Way.
“The goal when we were writing it was in part to tell our story of how we came to be, but we really want to give the reader the sense of how they can take their own leaps of faith in life and how they can have that confidence to trust their own intuition when people are saying ‘This is a crazy idea’ to start your own business or to go on a reality show. Whatever it is.”
It’s been a crazy whirlwind ride for the couple but look at them thrive. Love Is Blind besties – we love to see it.
4. Kristina Rihanoff & Ben Cohen (Strictly Come Dancing)
Status: Still loved up.
Strictly star Ben Cohen made headlines when he started dating his pro dance partner Kristina Rihanoff after starring on the show together in 2013. The couple started dating shortly after Ben and his then-wife Abbey Blayney broke up and are still going strong today. They welcomed their first child together – a girl called Milena – in 2016.
5. Francesca Farago & Harry Jowsey (Too Hot To Handle)
Status: Split.
Francesca and Harry first got together during the first season of the steamy Netflix dating show Too Hot To Handle and famously broke Lana’s abstinence rule. They called time on their relationship in 2020 after struggling to make the long distance thing work during Covid times and have had their fair share of makeups and breakups since then but for now, and if their social media is anything to go by, the two have gone their separate ways for good.
6. Grace Adams-Short & Mikey Dalton (Big Brother)
Status: Married.
Fourteen years after they met on Big Brother, Grace and Mikey are still very much together. They found fame – and more importantly love – back in the summer of 2006 on Big Brother Series 7, getting engaged four months after they met. Speaking to Lorraine on Good Morning Britain, Grace said, “It felt right for us. We’d spent so much time together. We waited a few years before the wedding and then the sprogs arrived!”Following the birth of their fourth child in January of this year, the couple say their family is now ‘complete’. Our faith in reality tv romance is officially restored.
7. Stacey Dooley & Kevin Clifton (Strictly Come Dancing)
Status: Still loved up.
The adorable couple began dating shortly after taking home the glitterball trophy on Strictly Come Dancing back in 2017 and haven’t looked back since. Following recent engagement rumours, Stacey set the record straight on The One Show. Speaking to Lauren Laverne and Jermaine Jenas, she said: “You would absolutely be the first to know, but no, I’m so dull. I’m not getting married.” We’re still holding out for a Strictly wedding in 2022… just imagine their first dance. Swoon.
8. Daniel Wakeford & Lily Taylor (The Undateables)
Status: Split.
The duo stole the nation’s heart when they hit it off on Channel 4’s dating documentary The Undateables in 2015, returning for the show’s festive edition that saw Daniel pop the question. The adorable proposal took place at Brighton bandstand, with Daniel performing a rendition of All I Want For Christmas (Lily’s favourite song) before getting down on bended knee to ask for her hand in marriage in what made for some of the most heart-warming scenes on the tele box.
Alas, according to TikTok, that’s where their fairytale ends. Addressing his 367,000 followers, Daniel shared the news that the couple had ended their three year romance but remained good friends, leaving viewers heartbroken. Here’s hoping Daniel and Lily meet their soul mates in 2022.
9. Paige Turley & Finn Tapp (Love Island Series 6)
Status: Still coupled up.
Love Island stars Paige Turley and Finn Tapp won the first ever winter edition of the ITV2 dating show in 2020, choosing to split the £50,000 prize money between them. But whilst we were rooting for them inside the villa, it’s how the couple get on in the real world that really counts. So, are Paige and Finn still lucky in love? We’re happy to report that they’ve gone from strength to strength since winning the show and have recently moved into their first home together in Manchester. That’s amore!
10. Nas Majeed & Eva Zapico (Love Island Series 6)
Status: Still coupled up.
Like Paige and Finn, Nas and Eva met on the Winter Love Island series in 2020 – clearly, there was something in the water that year because two years on, they’re still an item. They coupled up during Casa Amor and despite rumours circulating that the two had called it quits, they regularly assure fans they’re more loved up than ever. We love it when a dating show delivers.
11. Barnett and Amber (Love is Blind, Season 1)
Status: Loved up.
Another Love is Blind couple still going strong, here we have Amber Pike and Matt Barnett who, despite both having cold feet on their wedding day, are still going strong in 2022. The couple, who celebrated their 3 year anniversary at the end of 2021, are still as head over heels as they were at the end of the LIB season one, with a recent Instagram caption of Amber’s reading: “It was instinctive, the way I fell for you. Like an effortless intake of breath.” Despite fellow contestant Jessica Batten also feeling a spark with Barnett in the earlier episodes of the show, it’s clear that Amber and Barnett were truly meant to be!
The pair are self-declared ‘dog parents’ to a pup named Koda, with Amber later changing her surname to match that of her dream man. We love an unconventional success story!
12. Martha and Michael (Married at First Sight Australia, Season 6)
Status: Married, and engaged again.
With somewhat of a questionable success rate, it seems hit showMarried at First Sight Australia does in fact have some happy endings result from its tailor made pairings. Season 6’s Martha and Michael were one such success story, getting hitched on the show in 2018 and now officially engaged again in December 2021, giving the pair the chance to plan the wedding of their dreams after over 3 years together. At least this time they will know who they’ll find at the altar!
Season 6 of MAFS AU certainly wasn’t without its dramas, with red wine being thrown across the table at dinner parties and a serious case of husband swapping, but despite the chaos that ensued over the course of the experiment, M&M are still loved up, and certainly not afraid to show it.
13. Dom and Jess (Love Island, Season 3)
Status: Parents on the block.
Love Island OGs Dom Lever and Jess Shears met on Season 3 of the show in 2017, and despite the odds have come out on top, marrying 3 months after the show finished and entering 2020 with a gorgeous baby boy too! Their Greek wedding was an intimate affair, with only 22 guests receiving an invite to their sun-soaked Mykonos nuptials as the couple simply couldn’t wait to tie the knot- “When you meet the right person, there’s no need to hang around.” commented Dom.
Their Instagram pages share the story of their relationship since the villa, with the pair moving to live out the countryside dream, purchasing a house in Devon during lockdown and renovating their family home ready for whatever the future holds! Family goals.
14. Big Ed and Liz (90 Day Fiance)
Status: Ring on the finger!
Notorious for his failed attempts at love, Big Ed rose to fame after appearing on the US reality show 90 Day Fiance, in which viewers follow couples who have applied for or received a K-1 visa, available to foreign fiancés of U.S. citizens, and the 90 days they have to decide if they wish to go ahead with the wedding. Big Ed was originally paired with 23-year-old Rosemarie from the Philippines, however, the relationship broke down when Ed revealed he had no desire for more children, which was a deal-breaker for Rose. Following this, Ed soon found love upon returning home to the US with single mum and restaurant manager Liz Woods, and despite their turbulent relationship, multiple breakups and reunions, the pair got engaged in August of 2021 and appear to be going stronger than ever!
The pair took to Instagram to announce the news, with Ed posting a collage of photos from their engagement weekend with the caption “It’s true, she’s going to make me the luckiest man in the 🌎!!”. Despite a slew of negativity in the comments, we hope this is it for the love birds and their chance at forever love!
15. Dave and Adele (Take Me Out, Season 2)
Status: Married.
Did anyone else used to feel like Saturday nights weren’t complete without an episode of Take Me Out and a Dominos pizza en route? Turns out our ultimate guilty pleasure watch has resulted in some happy endings after all, one of which being Dave and Adele from series 2 who were the first couple to ever get married from the show! Both contestants ended up on dates with other people but got in touch after the show finished and ended up tying the knot in 2014. The couple now have two children and are proof that ITV really does have a flair for match making!
16. Cam and Emily (Too Hot To Handle, Season 2)
Status: Too in love to handle.
Cameron Holmes and Emily Miller met on season two of the US show back in 2020, and didn’t exactly have the most traditional route into romance. The show, which involves abstaining from physical intimacy in order to win cash prizes, saw some seriously scandalous moments, with Cam and Emily in particular unable to keep their hands off each other, much to the annoyance of their fellow contestants.
Since the show aired the couple have gone from strength to strength, moving in together soon after landing back in London, donning matching ‘heaven and hell’ outfits for Halloween last year, and spending Christmas with one another’s families. Aw!
17. Chrishell Stause & Jason Oppenheim (Selling Sunset)
Status: Back on the market.
Five months after publicly going official and sending the Internet into a frenzy, Chrishell and Jason aka stars of the Netflix hit Selling Sunset have gone their separate ways after Chrishell revealed that they had different priorities and timelines when it came to starting a family. In a statement to Instagram in December 2021 she went on to say “Men have the luxury of time that women don’t and that’s just the way it goes.”
“I very much hope to one day have a family and decisions I make at this point are with that goal in mind,” she added. Although we loved seeing their relationship come to life in front of the glamorous Hollywood backdrop, we hope both Chrishell and Jason can find what they’re looking for in 2022.
18. Daniel and Matt (MAFS UK, Season 6)
Status: Happier than ever.
As the first gay couple on the show, it’s safe to say MAFS stars Daniel and Matt had all eyes on them from the very start of their relationship. Despite another turbulent season of the show, the couple rose above the drama and were one of the first to exchange “I love you” and cement themselves as being in it for all the right reasons, and their marriage is still standing the test of time to this day! One of the biggest barriers for the couple was their Leeds and Northern Ireland home destinations, with both feeling unsure about making the leap to move so far from their friends and family, but as of 2021 Matt has taken the leap of love and relocated to NI to live with his forever person, and we couldn’t be happier for them. We bloody love a happy ever after!
19. Olivia Kaiser and Korey Gandy (Love Island, Season 3)
Status: Split.
Despite taking the crown as Season 3 winners of the US version of the show in August 2021, Kody took to Instagram in November to reveal that the pair had sadly gone their separate ways. His lengthy Instagram caption shared with fans that the decision had been mutual, going on to say that “When we were on Love Island everything was perfect and I can say that was honestly the happiest moment of my life.” Brb sobbing. He went on to explain that in the real world their relationship had encountered problems and challenges they had never had to face in the villa, some of which they simply couldn’t overcome. Here’s hoping for a happy 2022 for both Liv and Korey, whatever that may hold.
20. Maeva D’Ascanio and James Taylor (Made in Chelsea)
Status: Live, laugh, loved up.
Maeva and James are certainly no strangers to stirring the pot and have often found themselves at the centre of drama on the London based reality show. From Maeva’s first, dramatic entrance into the MIC world in which it was rumoured she had joined the cast with hopes of rekindling her romance with first love Miles Nazaire, she has cemented herself as not afraid to hold back and always be the first to say what’s on her mind. Despite speculation about her relationship with Miles, Maeva in fact ended up on a date with his best pal James, and despite some rocky patches, the pair seem suitably loved up and in it for the long haul, with a recent Instagram caption of hers reading “My life 💘 @jamestaylorldn”. CUTE!
