‘Is it materialistic to consider money when it comes to love?’

Married At First Sight is making me think about my attitude to dating

SOURCE: This was shot on the set of Sisterhood, a new show I’ll be co-presenting which premieres on TBN UK YouTube on 15 April!

Married At First Sight, or MAFS, as fans like to call it, is a British television programme where couples are matched "scientifically" by a panel of "experts". They meet just minutes before they marry. Upon returning, they live together for a period of time, during which they meet at commitment ceremonies and choose whether or not they will continue their relationship.

When it first aired, I was fascinated by the format but it was a bit boring to watch. Then they brought in the Australian version and that was riveting and is now the most successful of the franchise. I didn’t grow up watching television – Mumma famously said that television is the enemy of progress so it was banned in my household – and as a result I generally have a short attention span when it comes to screen time. However, my recent obsession with this series is proof that Mum was absolutely right because it has almost completely taken over my life for the last week or so.

It’s interesting watching the relationships develop between the couples. Most of them are in their 30s upwards and have failed dating experiences, marriages and sometimes children behind them. Being thrown together in the experiment clearly intensifies their relationships and some couples get lost in the romance of the wedding and honeymoon only to be brought back to earth with a bang once they emerge from the bubble and are exposed to scrutiny from family and friends. One of the women said that her father had given her the following advice on finding a partner: ‘Unless they’re adding value to your life, don’t waste your time.’