They’re the unlikely reality TV power-couple no one saw coming, but as Keira Maguire and Jarrod Woodgate fell in love before our very eyes on Bachelor in Paradise, we became smitten ourselves.
Yet many have called BS on their love, claiming ‘Keira and Jarrod’s relationship is fake’. After curiously cancelling all of her media interviews when the Paradise final aired, we started to wonder the same. But the blonde beauty is finally ready to talk, and we can always trust her to tell the truth.
Keira chatted openly to Now to Love about her future with Jarrod (marriage, kids and living together!), how she fits into the Woodgate family, and what she really thinks of the new Bachelorette Ali Oetjen.
Keira and Jarrod have fallen madly in love!
We’d love to know, how has this week been finally getting to go public with Jarrod?
We actually haven’t seen each other! He went to the farm on Tuesday and he came home last night.
For the last six months we’ve been at home drinking wine, eating Uber eats and watching Arrow on Stan, but we’re excited to go out this morning to breakfast. Our first public appearance together in the real world!
Where’s ‘home’?
We both live in Brighton together. Jarrod works on the farm during the week.
Sometimes if his mum is heading out that way I’ll be like “Hey, can I come with you?” and I’ll go out there and spend a couple of days. But I don’t live there – it’s our second home. The majority of the time I’m in Brighton. A girls gotta get facials and her hair done! That’s not happening in Terrigal, I mean come on!
You seem super close to Jarrod’s family, how nice has that been to be welcomed into the fold?
It’s been so beautiful. I’m just so overwhelmed. They’re amazing. I hang out with his mum a lot. Anytime we need to get our nails done, we spend the day together we go out shopping. She’s worse than me when it comes to shopping – she’s a shopaholic! We have a lot in common. Our sense of humour and our personalities are so similar. We end up laughing on the ground, she cracks me up. We just get along really well.
She holds my hand! She holds it and just doesn’t let it go and I’m like, “Awww I love you!”
His parents will just call me up and we’ll hang out. We’ll go on walks, I’ve been hanging out with Jarrod’s parents because I can’t go outside with him.
Some people have speculated that your relationship has ended or isn’t even genuine, what do you say to that?
I don’t really care what people think to be honest with you. I don’t need to justify myself to anyone. We are what we are and they’re lucky enough that I’m even sharing anything with them, let alone whether we’re real or not. Why would I care?
Fans have been SO excited about a potential reality TV show, please tell us there’s something in the works?
We did have a brief conversation about it after Bachelor in Paradise. We’re getting a really overwhelming response from people asking us to do one. If the opportunity presents itself then we’d definitely be interested. Between myself, Jarrod and his family, I’m telling you – there’s a show there!
The look of love! Keira says she and Jarrod are the real-deal.
We loved your wedding shoot with Woman’s Day this week, talk us through your dream day?
We haven’t really spoken about it. We obviously have ideas individually of what we want. We’ve been together for six months but we haven’t been able to do the little things. So right now, we just want to go to breakfast together. So maybe we’ll talk about it at breakfast and I’ll get back to you.
While you’re at breakfast would you also like to chat to Jarrod about the future and the possibility of starting a family one day? Is that something you’d both want?
I think as individuals we both want children and we have spoken briefly about what we want. We definitely see ourselves as being together forever. Right now, I don’t think you could get a better combination as a couple. For me, he’s just the most understanding, caring – actually sometimes he’s not as always understanding as I’d like – but at the end of the day we do mesh very well together and we’re very happy. I don’t ever see us ending.
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Keira and Jarrod posed for a fairytale shoot on his family’s vineyard. See all the pics here!
How do you think you and Jarrod will survive the reality TV relationship curse?
Besides all of the reality TV stuff, I actually think that I’ve attracted Jarrod into my life and it just happened to have played out like this. I just know what my life has been like over the last couple of years and there’s just no other way I would have met someone. And remember he was on the screen after me, so I actually think that I attracted him, and this situation into my life.
Whether we last or not, right now we’re in a really good place and we do want to have a future together. I don’t really believe in a curse, I just think that what we have is real and we’re just going to go with it.
Thoughts on Ali as the Bachelorette?
Look, I think Ali is a really lovely girl and I wish her all the best, I know there are other people who don’t think her series will be that great. But the good thing about The Bachelor or The Bachelorette is if the guy is a dud or the girl is a dud they’ve got the cast of guys and girls that can back it up.
Did you see mine and Ritchie’s season? Ritchie was a dud, but we made it work! It happens sometimes.
Keria hints new Bachelorette Ali might need a little help in the entertainment department.
You were very entertaining on Ritchie’s season!
I’ve gotta do what I’ve gotta do! And I’m sure someone will do the same for Ali.
But I do think The Bachelorette will be quite good for Ali because she does fall very hard, very fast and I just think that at least she’ll have a few options and she’ll know she’s had time to decide without rushing into a relationship with the first person.
“Ritchie was a dud!” Never afraid to speak her mind, Keira says what she really thinks about former-Bachelor Ritchie Strahan.
She’s denied that she’s had any work done. You’ve always been very honest with the public – what are your thoughts on this?
[Laughs] When it comes to having work done, I used to be told “a lady never tells”. But, it’s 2018, it’s standard protocol for anyone in this industry. At the same time, it’s each to their own. But you can always tell, you just have to look at someone and you know.
On Bachelor In Paradise we saw a more vulnerable, emotional Keira than what we’ve seen before, do you think we saw more of the real Keira on this series?
You did. You got to see a lot more of me. In real life when people first meet me they’re like “‘Oh, I don’t know”. But once they get to know me they fall in love [laughs].
But the thing with me is that you need to understand me. I am very picky as to who I show myself to. I don’t like to spread myself too thinly. This industry is quite fickle. I literally have five friends. You learn very fast who your true friends are in this industry. And what people want and everybody wants a piece of you and I see right through it.
Do you think Sam and Tara will last?
I think they definitely have something. I’m obsessed with them and I hope and pray and wish they stay together. But who knows, you can’t predict the future. Right now they look really happy and I just hope the happiness continues.
Keira is ‘obsessed’ with Tara and Sam’s relationship.
This is a bit of a blast from the past but there’s been a lot of chatter that Nikki Grogan and Richie are getting back together – is that a good idea?
I don’t know if that’s true. And if it is true then the show’s worked! But I think we need to move on, give the girl a break, that season was a couple of years ago. I don’t think she needs anyone at the moment. She looks very happy.
