MARRIED At First Sight’s Georges Berthonneau insists new grooms Adam Nightingale and Caspar Todd ‘aren’t the Grim Reaper’ for admitting they don’t fancy their wives.
Barber Adam, 33, and gardener Caspar, 34, have both come under fire from viewers for their tactless assessments of their partners’ appearances after meeting them for the first time in their own wedding ceremonies.
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Nottingham lad Adam said bride Polly Sellman, 28, “wasn’t his usual type” and that he usually goes for petite brunettes.
While Caspar stunned his partner Emma Barnes, 28, when he told her he doesn’t feel any sexual chemistry with her and has “rarely gone for the curvier person.”
But Georges, 31, who didn’t have any such issues when he first laid eyes on his TV bride Peggy Lawrence, doesn’t believe the backlash is warranted.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun, he said: “Last year I was the only cast member who pretty much got what he asked for immediately, and I made it very clear, I said ‘you will get a very honest reaction from me if I’m not visually impressed by who I’m going to date’.
“I’m allowed a type. I’m allowed standards, and I’m allowed to like what I like, it doesn’t make me a bad person, just because I don’t find someone attractive. So I’m not watching this series, but I’m seeing a lot of hate going out towards Caspar and another guy called Adam.
“And I think the reality of it is they’ve asked for a type. They’ve not been given their type. Yes, beauty is deeper than skin level. It’s more than skin deep. So I think the reality of it is that I understand why people are getting upset, but hang on a second.
“If you want to have a type. If you want standards with your partner and they happen to be aesthetic. You are not not the Grim Reaper. You are not a bad person for having standards with what you want visually.”
However, Georges believes the two grooms shouldn’t have carte blanche to critique their wives if they’re far from flawless themselves.
Adam was accused by viewers of living in the clouds when he said he was hoping for a Megan Fox or Michelle Keegan lookalike bride.
While straight-talking Caspar is not a chiselled Adonis.
Georges continued: “You also have to be aesthetically in a half decent shape yourself if you’re going to criticise people for their shape.
“I think as a coach, it’s important. I couldn’t be 150 kilos telling people to lose weight, could I? Because then I’m not practicing what I preach.”
Online coach Georges has largely left the celebrity world behind save for appearances on the Sellebrity Soccer Circuit, which sees famous names from different backgrounds face-off on the pitch to raise money for charity.
However, he recently dipped his toes back into the reality TV sphere at a launch event for the current series of Mafs that was attended by an array of previous brides and grooms.
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It wasn’t an experience he took any great pleasure from, telling us he “instantly regretted it.”
He said: “I’m not like all the others who are trying to cling on to it. They’re trying to react on social media, you know.
“I was like, ‘why am I here? I have no need to be here’. I’m not Georges from Mafs. I’m Georges, the online coach, who helps people sort their lives out and fix their s**t. That’s who I am.
“I’m not some bloke that’s been on telly and that’s all that I’m reduced to.
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“It doesn’t bring back bad memories or anything like that. It just makes me laugh because it’s more seeing how other people react. I’m last year’s cast. I’m not important anymore, like people need to move on and move past it.
“If people liked me for me, then great! And if they didn’t, then boohoo.”
Mafs couples that have stood the test of time
Loved-up Tayah Victoria and Adam Aveling of series six fame had the first Mafs baby.
The pair couldn’t keep their hands off each other on the programme and quickly found their feet in the outside world, moving into Adam’s Doncaster home.
Just 18 months after meeting, the couple welcomed their daughter Beau.
Season five couple Michelle Walder and Owen Jenkins also managed to make their marriage work away from the cameras and had their first child in December.
Teacher Michelle, 29, has no regrets about taking part in the experiment. She told us: “I just feel very lucky and thankful that it has worked out – and excited for everything to come.”
Michelle and Owen were both sick of dating apps when they applied in 2019.
Owen recalled: “I had been out for some drinks with a friend after work.
“While he was out for a cigarette I was scrolling on Instagram waiting for him to come back in.
“The MAFS advert was the last thing I saw, and I joked, ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if I signed up?’
“A few beers later when I was back at home I sent in the application, and the rest is history.”
Another couple to make Mafs UK history is Zoe Clifton and Jenna Robinson.
Despite a slight rocky start, where they clashed over Jenna’s vegan lifestyle, the show’s first same sex pairing are still going strong.
They even have a successful podcast together called Life With a Pod.
Jenna shed light on being involved in the show earlier this year when she told us: “We’re not legally married, and I never felt like we were. I definitely feel the process makes you take the relationship a lot more seriously and having the help of the experts… if you can survive that process it sets a firm foundation for a long-lasting relationship.”
