When OK! visits Alex Garner and Zoe Newport at their suburban Melbourne home, the duo are clearly head over heels. However, behind the smiles, the couple – who met at the altar last June on Channel Nine’s reality matchmaking show Married at First Sight – have suffered considerably, with a devastating miscarriage rocking their relatively new relationship. But their love remains strong.
‘I was pregnant, and Alex and I were very happy about starting our family, but sadly at the end of our first trimester we suffered a miscarriage,’ says 25-year-old digital marketing executive Zoe.
With the support of each other and their family and friends, the pair reveal that they’ve come to a place where they can once again start thinking about the future that lies ahead for them both.
The unlikely twosome – Alex, 29, is a plumber from the ’burbs and Zoe is a city girl at heart – sit down to chat to OK! about their plans moving forward, including adoption, something they’re both passionate about with Zoe and her brother adopted from Ethiopia at a young age, finding their forever home and eventually having more children down the track.
We’re so sorry for your loss, it’s obviously been a painful past few weeks?
Zoe: We’ve had great support and love from both of our families and friends through what is a difficult time. We want to extend our love and support to anyone out there who has had a similar experience.
You celebrated your one-year anniversary this week; this relationship has certainly been through a lot!
Zoe: It feels like we’ve known each other for ages now. It feels like we’ve come a long way from when we first met at the altar.
Alex: When we first met we thought that we’d never work, but we can’t thank the show enough. They found me that someone who now I can’t imagine living without.
Zoe, did you decide to move into Alex’s home straight after filming wrapped?
No, we went back to basics. We started dating and then eventually we made the decision to move in together after about four months.
Alex: We’ve done a lot in that time. We went to Bali for New Year, we shared a family Christmas here in Melbourne, and then I had the chance to go down to Tasmania to meet Zoe’s parents.
On the show you were hesitant to move from your city apartment to the suburbs – are you used to living in Ferntree Gully now, Zoe?
Yes, it’s two hours a day on the train, but it’s worth it. It’s something that I do because I want to be where Alex is, and that’s part of being in a relationship – you make compromises. But I love it here anyway, it’s worth it.
You’re currently selling the house. Are you looking to buy a new home together?
Alex: I’m doing another subdivision not far from here, so we have to move into another construction site for the interim. Maybe four months after that we’ll find or build a house for us.
Will there be another wedding?
Alex: I remember speaking to Zoe about this and I said that seven years is a good term to really know a person and to make such an important decision like that. She turned around and told me that I have three. I would definitely say that it’s something we’re both keen on and are ready for, and we both take it very seriously. It’s in the near future.
Zoe: I think we’ll probably have something a little more low-key, though. We’ve had that big dress and big wedding, so this time around it’ll be really intimate.
So do you both think that the matchmakers got you guys right?
Zoe: I’m continuously in awe of how well-matched we are. We have a deep relationship and we’re really grateful that this worked for us.
Alex: I’ll be honest, I didn’t know what to think of the show at the start; I was sceptical. But I’m blown away now because I can’t imagine my life with anyone else.
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