Former MasterChef contestant Hayden Quinn says he and his American girlfriend, model Jax Raynor, have had to put their engagement plans on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Hayden, 34, said that while he and Jax, 25, are “100 percent” keen on getting married and having kids, the global pandemic has made it “tricky” to do so.
“It’s tricky because it’s the sort of thing you want to be able to celebrate with family and friends and being sort of split between two parts of the world at this time of our lives,” he told the outlet. “It would just be a bit sad to not be able to jump on a plane and fly over and see her family and celebrate.”
Like all couples, the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown was a test to see if they were endgame. Fortunately for this duo, while their engagement plans have been put to a grinding halt thanks to the pandemic, Hayden said that the pair “came out of COVID all good.”
“We’re getting along nice and strong which is good. She’s missing her parents though because she’s from the US and she hasn’t been able to see them for more than 18 months. So she gets a little home sick every now again but we’re also very grateful to be in Australia.”
The pair first started dating after they met in the United States in 2016, before Raynor moved from Los Angeles to Sydney in the second year of their relationship to be with the MasterChef. On the 31st of December 2020, the couple celebrated five years together.
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Speaking to TV Week around that time, Hayden admitted that neither he or his girlfriend were ready to settle down just yet.
“God, no, we’re a bit young,” he said at the time. “We’re happy where we are at the moment. We’re very busy just travelling and enjoying life.”