When Duncan James and Evelyn Ellis stepped off the set of season ten of Married at First Sight, they walked straight into a media frenzy, but it became a blessing in disguise.
“What happened after the show I don’t think Duncan and I were fully prepared for,” Evelyn, 29, tells TV WEEK.
“But it did bring us closer together, three months into our relationship felt like a year.”
Big Brother UK star Evelyn and cyber security specialist Duncan’s, 38, season was known for its stunning weddings, controversial couples and messy dinner parties.
It made Duncan and Evelyn stars overnight, and they went on to become one of the show’s most recognisable couples, with people often forgetting one major detail – they weren’t married on the show.
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Duncan was married to Alyssa Barmonde and Evelyn to Rupert Bugden, but after a leaked image and the infamous “couple swap” challenge, a budding friendship grew from a shunned idea into something more.
“This is a bit of tea (gossip),” Evelyn cheekily reveals. “The official cast photos got leaked and because I was an intruder I saw them before entering. In Duncan’s photo he had a six pack and a Santa hat on. I knew he was my type on paper – I mean he’s everyone’s type – but obviously when I walked down the aisle, it wasn’t Duncan.”
“I thought, ‘OK, let’s just see where this goes.’ Then we had the first ever couple swap [where Duncan and Evelyn were partnered together]. That’s essentially how me and Duncan had our spark for me personally.”
Duncan agreed thinking Evelyn was attractive, but didn’t allow himself to feel a spark at that point.
“In that environment you don’t let yourself feel that,” he explains.
The pair split with their respective partners and have now been together for nearly two-ish years – depending on who you ask.
“I thought we were going out in February [2023] when we started hanging out,” Duncan says with a laugh. “But Evelyn says we weren’t going out until I officially asked her, which was many months later, so we’ve got two different anniversary dates.”
They now live together with their two sausage dogs, Pickles and Mustard, and despite having experienced doxxing and some negative commentary surrounding their relationship, the stunning couple are grateful for the MAFS experience and the bright future they have ahead.
“I’m not a relationship expert but it’s the healthiest relationship I’ve ever been in,” Evelyn says. “I love how soft Duncan is. It’s rare to find a soft man these days.”
“Nothing is off the table when it comes to financial goals, where we want to live, starting a family,” Duncan adds. “With all the media scrutiny we had to have those chats really early on, and that was probably a good foundation to start a great relationship.”
