It wasn’t exactly a recipe for marital bliss – but even the most sceptical expected their unconventional union to last longer than a few weeks.
Jason Knowles and Kate Stewart wed as complete strangers for controversial Channel 4 series Married at First Sight.
But last night, in the pre-recorded programme’s final episode, it was revealed they had split after about three weeks after the groom signed up to an online dating service.
Jason Knowles and Kate Stewart (pictured together) wed as complete strangers for controversial Channel 4 series Married at First Sight - but they are now splitting up
The couple were put together by programme makers after being subjected to a barrage of personality tests that were meant to find matches most likely to result in lasting marriages.
Fitness instructor Miss Stewart, 31, wore a white dress with lace sleeves for their small civil ceremony in February before they jetted off to Ireland for a honeymoon.
However, the trip had to be cut short after three days so financial adviser Mr Knowles, 34, could return to work.
He revealed last night the couple never consummated the relationship and said: ‘It’s a very personal question but I’ll be straight with you, nothing happened.’
While it is not possible to get a divorce within a year of marriage, if the union is not consummated, it can be annulled at any point after the wedding.
During their time together, the couple lived in a house in Bethnal Green, East London, that was provided by Channel 4, while also keeping their own separate properties in London.
The couple - who met for the first time at the altar - share a quick kiss in a hot tub after the ceremony
In the pre-recorded programme’s final episode it was revealed they had split after about three weeks after the groom signed up to online dating service Tinder (profile pictured right). Left, Miss Stewart without her wedding ring
Things went sour for the pair after their honeymoon. Their anti-social working hours meant they rarely saw each other and when they booked an appointment with Jo Coker, the programme’s relationship therapist, to work through their problems, Mr Knowles failed to turn up.
Then, when a friend of Miss Stewart showed her that her new husband was registered on the Tinder dating app, it spurred her to call off the relationship.
She had a rant at me. At the end of the conversation she said: 'By the way, you swiped right on one of my friends and I'm leaving'
Mr Knowles, who works for Morrinson Wealth Management, told the Mail he only signed up to the dating service once he knew the relationship would not work.
He says he was caught out when his bride’s friend noticed his picture on Tinder. ‘It was probably more from my side than hers that it didn’t work,’ he said. ‘It’s not that I didn’t want to give it a go but I just definitely wasn’t feeling the feelings you should feel at the start of the relationship. I made a decision after the honeymoon to end things.
‘One of my good friends said: “Jason, are you back in the dating scene?” I said it was a bit too soon but he suggested I should re-download Tinder.
‘I handed my phone over to his girlfriend who was happily swiping left and right and having a laugh about it. Anyway, the next morning I woke up and packed my bags because I already knew I was going to leave.
Mr Knowles, who works for Morrinson Wealth Management, told the Mail he only signed up to the dating service once he knew the relationship would not work
It will be a disappointment for programme makers who now have only one couple still married out of the 1,500 people who applied to take part in the experiment
‘We sat in the lounge but Kate wouldn’t let me talk. She had a rant at me. At the end of the conversation she said: “By the way, you swiped right on one of my friends and I’m leaving” at which point she saw my bag at the door and said, “Apparently you are too”.’
It will be a disappointment for programme makers who now have only one couple still married out of the 1,500 people who applied to take part in the experiment. This initial intake was whittled down to three couples through genetic, psychological and physical tests.
It was claimed these couples left would have a greater chance than average to have a successful marriage.
One pair pulled out before the weddings, which took place in February. Aside from Miss Stewart and Mr Knowles, the other couple to wed was Emma Rathbone, 32, and James Ord-Hume, 33. They are still happily together after five months.
