Primary school teacher reveals she married a total stranger DAYS before lockdown hit

A primary school teacher has revealed she married a total stranger days before the national lockdown hit in March.

Michelle, 25, from Hastings, met Owen, 31, from Sheffield, moments before tying the knot at the start of the year for the new Channel 4 series of Married at First Sight.

However the couple’s marriage was quickly put to the test when the Covid-19 crisis hit days after the wedding and they ended up moving in together at Owen’s mother’s home.

Michelle told the Mirror: ‘It did kind of feel like I was going into the unknown. But with that kind of comes a lot of excitement as well. It’s why we both signed up for this experience in the first place!’ 

Michelle, 25, from Hastings, has revealed she married a total stranger, Owen, 31, from Sheffield, days before the national lockdown hit in March

Owen and Michelle were among 7,000 people who signed up for the new series of the hit show, which sees singletons put their love lives in the hands of matchmakers in the hope of finding ‘the one.’

Michelle, who has had two serious relationships in her life, was keen to do the experiment after feeling she was ‘missing’ a relationship.

She admitted she ‘didn’t get on’ with dating apps and sites because you ‘become quite a boring version of yourself.’

Meanwhile Owen, who has been single for two years, said he felt he had lost his mojo with dating, and ‘felt awkward’ pursuing women. 

The couple's marriage was quickly put to the test when the Covid-19 crisis hit days after the wedding and they ended up moving in together at Owen's mother's home

The couple’s marriage was quickly put to the test when the Covid-19 crisis hit days after the wedding and they ended up moving in together at Owen’s mother’s home

Despite the couple’s determination to take part in the experiment, they revealed their friends and family were a little less sure.

Michelle’s mother Anne was particularly sceptical, bursting into tears when she heard the news that her daughter had been successful matched.

Michelle said her family had found it ‘very, very difficult’ at the start of the experiment, and struggled to accept the principle of marrying a stranger.  

After a period of profiling, investigations into their personal lives and detailed interviews with a psychologist, Michelle and Owen were matched together as ‘a perfect match.’

The couple agreed to put their hearts in the hands of the matchmakers and walked down the aisle to marry one another, despite the fact they had never met

The couple agreed to put their hearts in the hands of the matchmakers and walked down the aisle to marry one another, despite the fact they had never met 

The couple agreed to put their hearts in the hands of the matchmakers and walked down the aisle to marry one another, despite the fact they had never met.

Michelle and Owen met one another at the alter and tied the knot in a lavish ceremony at Eastwell Manor in Ashford Kent.

Michelle called the minutes before she walked down the aisle and saw Owen the ‘most terrifying moment’ of her life.

She revealed she was ‘shaking all over’ and ‘hyperventilating’ ahead of the ceremony.

But she said the moment she saw her husband she felt ‘instantly calmer’ and ‘found him attractive, adding: ‘The feelings of being terrified just instantly fell away.’  

Meanwhile Owen was equally over-the-moon with his new bride, saying he instantly did ‘a little fist bump’ and called her ‘gorgeous’.

Days after the wedding, the UK was put into a national lockdown amid the Covid-19 crisis.

The newlyweds decided to move in together and isolate at Owen’s mother’s home because she was away at the time. 

They were then given the length of the lockdown to decide whether they wanted to stay married, or whether to go their separate ways.

It is unknown whether the couple chose to stay together at the end of the experiment.

Married At First Sight is on Channel 4, Tuesday at 9:30pm