Axed couple from E4 dating show 'Married at First Sight' get married after their TV wedding was cancelled

Ally Todd, aged 39, and her partner, Paul, age 36, were due to appear on the UK version of reality TV show in March 2020 but their nuptials were cancelled due to the coronavirus lockdown in the UK.

Paul, who is a train driver, was still determined to meet the woman the experts had paired him with, however, and he begged the producers to give him her details. In the show, participants do not know anything about who they have been partnerned up with before they meet for the first time at the altar, not even their name - so there was no way of Paul finding his almost-wife without the help of TV bosses.

Luckily, producers decided to give their love a chance and gave him the details he needed to contact her. He then reached out to Ally, who is a medical insurance manager, and the couple found the experts had done a good job in matching them because they got on really well.

They had their first dates via video calls, but then met up in person when Covid restrictions eased and their relationship quickly went from strength to strength. By February 2021, the couple had annouced their pregnancy to loved ones and then Paul popped the question by getting down one knee at a picnic at the beach in June 2021. One month later, their daughter Penelope was born.

Ally said: "It's all been a bit of a whirlwind - meeting, falling in love, getting engaged and falling pregnant - but we are just so happy. Having our little girl, Penelope, has just been the icing on the cake."

The pair finally got to say ‘I do’ at their wedding ceremony last month, four years after their cancelled TV wedding was supposed to take place. Among the guests were “Married at First Sight” (MAFS) experts Paul C Brunson and Gen Gresset, and their now two-year-old daughter Penelope was the flower girl. Ally, from Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, said: "It was better than we expected. Paul (MAFS expert) said we were the most organic and genuine match that they have put together.”

Ally and Paul had their MAFS nuptials cancelled three days before the ceremony was due to take place due to a strict lockdown coming into force in the UK. The couple eventually and tied the knot on June 8 at the Brighton Pavilion.

Paul wore the original suit he had picked out for their TV wedding but Ally opted for a £100 ASOS dress after not feeling as comfortable in her original wedding gown. Explaining her decision, she said: "It's about feeling confident. It's got little sleeves and is frilly. It matches Penny's."

The couple are enjoying married bliss so far and are planning to go to Morocco for their honeymoon in September. Ally added: "I'm happier that it has worked out this way. We got to plan everything we wanted."

MAFS sees singles matched by a group of three relationship experts who, after an intensive selection and interview process, decide who the participants are best suited to. The couples know nothing about each other, but meet for the first time at the altar before they say 'I do'. The show has been hugely popular and there is a UK version, an Australian version, a New Zealand version, an American version and more.