They married total strangers on television, meeting for the very first time on their wedding day, after being matched by experts in a bold social experiment.
E4's Married At First Sight UK, which sees singletons meeting their potential life partners at the altar, resulted in romance for two out of the nine couples who are still together (Adam Aveling and Tayah McCreith and Daniel Mckee and Matt Jameson).
Screened over 21 episodes last autumn, the UK format was overhauled last year to follow the lockdown hit Australian version with explosive weekly dinner parties and commitment ceremonies during which they aired their dirty laundry.
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They may not have found love, but the show created a bond of lifelong friendship for Bob Voysey, Megan Wolfe, Luke Dawson and Marilyse Corrigan who recently enjoyed a reunion weekend in Manchester.
Luke and Bob say they're recognised wherever they go since the show, and they get a mostly positive reaction after laying their hearts on the line so publicly.
"It's positive but you always get the occasional d*** head," said Luke.
"Mostly it's fine but there's a couple of weird comments here and there," agreed Bob.
Bob and Megan were one of the married couples on the show but parted as firm friends after trying to make their marriage work.
There was an awkward confrontation and tears when fellow groom Jordon Mundell revealed he and Megan had kissed.
Megan, a former wellness coach who now works in aesthetics, was subjected to online abuse when the show was aired over a month.
"For me online wasn't the nicest reaction while it was airing," she told us.
"I don't think you can ever prepare for trolling on the scale that it was.
"I was prepared for some reaction and you put yourself out there for opinions but no, not on the scale it was."
Asked how she dealt with the comments, she said: "I think I had to filter them and manage what I read and you realise people are just projecting their own unhappiness."
Her former husband added: "It shows how involved people get with the show and how they feel it's fine to message people inappropriately with horrible things.
"Meg's had quite a bit. They go through the journey with us I guess and they feel so entitled to message and be rude and it's not nice to read some of the stuff Meg has had especially."
On their close friendship after the cameras stopped rolling Megan, who has since found love with Marc Newton who she met in the gym, said: "That's the best best bit from the show is the people we got to meet and the friends we got to gain."
And Bob said: "Only we know what we've been through. It's nice to see your friends from home or partners.
"But the only people who truly know what we've been through are us.
"So when we get together it's a bit of an escape, it's a release. It feels normalised."
Bob, from Dorset, applied for the show after spotting an ad on Facebook
"I thought 'that seems a bit of me, I'd marry a stranger," he said.
But he says the reality of the situation didn't hit until the night before the wedding.
"The night before the wedding I thought 'I'm actually getting married tomorrow. my wife is somewhere.'
"I applied for it on a whim and the next thing you know I'm seeing Megan walk downstairs."
Marilyse, from Beverley, East Yorkshire, was matched with fellow personal trainer Franky Spencer and they have also remained good friends.
She said: "I thought it was time to meet somebody. I did have anxiety attacks beforehand.
"I loved my life, I didn't want it to change.
"I would have panic attacks thinking 'oh my god, what's going to happen?'
"And then I thought it could be a choice between meeting somebody, my Prince Charming, or it being a total disaster.
"And I chose to go with it in the end.
"Even the day before I was ringing up the producer saying 'I can't do it, I don't think it's for me, you're going to have to tell the guys I'm not doing it.'
"Even after the hen do I said 'if I choose not to go ahead will you please chop me out of the hen do?'
"I was freaking out big time and in the end I thought 'do you know what I need to do it or I'll regret not doing it if I don't do it.'
"I don't regret it even though it didn't work out because I've made friends for life."
Marilyse added: "Franky is always going to be a friend for life so I'm pleased I did it.
"We're in touch nearly every day. He's like a brother now."
Megan, from Welywn Garden City, Hertfordshire, was scouted for the show and she says it felt like 'fate' to be approached.
"I was literally talking about the Australian version downstairs and I went upstairs and they had messaged me on Instagram," she said.
"I'd never had a boyfriend, never had a successful relationship and I thought 'do you know what, even at the very least if I don't find the love of my life I'm going to learn a lot about myself.'"
Luke, a care home manager and fireman from Cardiff, revealed on the reunion show that his relationship with veterinary nurse Morag Crichton had ended despite the pair renewing their vows.
And they're no longer in touch.
He said: "I think it's a good thing to be a part of if it goes well.
"If it doesn't go well then it's one of the hardest things.
"Some people had the worst journey."
Bob added: "We had dinner parties where we'd all get drunk. We did have a good time but at the same time we had a weird time. It was funny but sad.
"You went through every emotion at least once on that show."
Marilyse laughed: "I feel like I don't need to get married again."
On the possibility of more reality TV after MAFS, Bob said he would would be up for Dancing On Ice.
"But I can't skate," he said.
"The Masked Singer I'd love that."
Megan said: "I'd do anything light-hearted that would allow me to show my personality. Nothing too intense.
"Surely it can't get worse?"
And Bob added: "It can't get any more intense than that. Marrying someone at first sight, that's just f*****g nuts."
E4 has confirmed that a new series is on its way with a supersized 30-episode run in 2022.
Asked if they would you recommend the process to others looking for love, Bob said: "It depends on the person.
"It hits home when you can't speak to your friends or family for nearly three months because they take your phone off you.
"So you don't have your normal support network.
"You've got the other people going through it but they've got their own things they're going through in their own marriage so it's hard to openly speak to someone because you don't want to taint their journeys."
Megan said: "I thought I was pretty mentally resilient. I was working as a wellness coach, I felt really, really stable.
"I thought there is no way this could effect my mental health and boy was I wrong.
"Even though I thought I was really strong I don't think that's enough. You can't even begin to imagine what it is to go through it."
"It's more the trolls isn't it? and the way people react to your journey," added Marilyse.
"Even Franky was trying to put on a brave face."
The four would like to see changes made to the aftercare process on the show.
Megan explained: "You have psychologists for a certain amount of time and then they kind of just ring you and say 'the show has wrapped now, here's an email'.
"It was a general email, a broadcast email to everybody."
Marilyse said: "They rang every day personally saying 'do you want to talk, are you okay?'
"Then everyone got a message saying 'right from now on we've all left the show now so this is the email if you need any help'".
"There was the reunion show and it was three days later and they were like 'we're all off now," said Luke, who has since launched as a life coach to help people suffering with their mental health.
"This is not an attack on the people at all. It's the process that needs to be bettering.
"That's what drove me to do my mental health coaching business. I learned loads last year and it's given me an extra drive.
"That's what I want to focus on this year, helping people.
"I want to use past experiences to better others.
"I went through that for a reason so If I can help someone else going through a similar thing.
"I've come out strong now."
He added: "I want Married At First Sight to learn from last year. It's great but they've got to keep being better I think, especially if it's going to be bigger this year.
"They need to make sure they've got it right and learn from us."
A source told the M.E.N that after the series the cast were contacted via phone and email to let them know how to arrange ongoing support.
And an E4 spokesperson said: "Contributor care is of paramount importance for all our programmes and remains ongoing, even after a series has aired.
"All MAFS UK series one cast members have been given dedicated and specific contact information to use, should they ever want to request support, including access to the show’s independent psychologist.”
