This year has turned out to be a big one for Gogglebox stars Matty and Sarah Marie Fahd.
While things might look the same as we rejoin them and their two sons, Malik, 5, and Lyon, 2, in the lounge room of their Sydney home in the new season, it’s a very different story behind the scenes for the family of four.
“Malik just started kindergarten this year,” Sarah Marie, 38, tells WHO. “Man, how time flies.”
While Malik met the milestone like a champ, his parents admit it has been somewhat of an adjustment for them.
“It definitely caught us by surprise how hard it is to juggle everything with school hours,” Matty, 38, says. “When the kids were in daycare, they didn’t have to be picked up till 6pm, but school finishes at 3pm. Then there are all the extracurriculars, as Malik is doing soccer, swimming and jiujitsu.
“The late afternoons used to be a really valuable time for Sarah and me to get some work done, but now one of us is always heading out the door to pick Malik up.”
As a result, a couple of months ago, Matty made the decision to leave his “corporate career” for now.
“It’s allowed for a bit more balance in our family life,” he explains. “I don’t know how people do it all.”
Also going through life changes in recent times is the couple’s friend Jad Nehmetallah who continues to join them on the couch as he enjoys his first year of married bliss.
Sarah Marie and Matty are mindful, however, that spending so much time with Malik and Lyon might be turning their pal off having kids of his own.
Proving to be chips off the old block, both boys already love joining in to critique what’s on the box.
“We were all watching [The Great Australian] Bake Off together last night, which was an experience,” Sarah Marie explains with a laugh.
“Apparently the sugar comes out of the TV and straight into the veins of our kids, because they were running around like crazy, and demanding custard and sweets,” Matty adds.
When the kids have gone to bed, however, relaxing in front of the TV remains the couple’s favourite way to unwind.
“It’s great they are still at that age that we can say, ‘It’s bed time,’ and they will listen and go,” Sarah Marie says. “Squid Game is our latest obsession. We are only able to watch one episode at a time, but we try to do it each night.”
After completing his own home renovations last year, Matty is also loving The Block.
“I am always getting new ideas for things I want to do at home from it,” he explains. “It can be a bit dangerous, because it had Sarah Marie looking at our wardrobe the other day, asking, ‘Should we rip it out and put that in here?’”
The couple admit they aren’t tempted to sign up for other reality shows, though.
“Nothing beats being able to watch TV in a tracksuit,” Matty says.
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