The 2024 season of MAFS was bigger and better than we expected. Alpha males, cheating scandals and even a new psychic have all graced our screens – but were the experts keeping the best couple for last?
Enter Jade and Ridge, the last couple to walk down the aisle on season eleven of Married at First Sight Australia.
Although the experiment was almost 5 weeks in, viewers were introduced to not one but three newly matched couples and among them were 27-year-old psych nurse Ridge and 26-year-old executive assistant Jade.
Are Jade and Ridge Still Together?
Thanks to a very telling interview with our sister site New Idea, shortly after the final aired, we knew the couple were still going strong in 2024.
“I didn’t think an experiment like this could work, but I ended up falling in love. It was a happy accident,” Ridge told the publication at the time.
“I never thought I’d be able to love someone’s child like my own. But meeting Vee, that’s changed. I love Vee. I see her as my own even though I know she’s not, which is a shock to me. I never thought I’d get to that stage.”
Whilst the months after the finale may have seen other relationships fall apart, it seems time has only strengthened Jade and Ridge’s relationship, as the couple continue to thrive.
In April Ridge debuted a new tattoo dedicated to his wife, ink that spelled out her name, and the family of three even enjoyed their first family holiday together.
“The experiment turned out to be a lot better than I expected,” Jade, later told New Idea. “I had never watched the show. I googled the success rates the night before I flew out and they weren’t great, so I was very nervous.”
In November, Jade delighted fans during a candid Q&A on Instagram where she dished more details on the couple’s relationship – hinting that an engagement and children could be in their future.
“Everyone had a lot more faith in us than we did in each other,” she reminisced of their time on the show. “Ridge and I were both really against being in a serious relationship so we really kept telling ourselves it wasn’t serious. He’s been really amazing and I really am so lucky to have him.”
When asked if she and Ridge were trying for kids, she answered that she “would like a ring before considering kiddies,” before admitting she would love to add two more children close in age to their family someday.
She also took a moment to look back on when Ridge met her daughter V for the first time, explaining it was “hard.”
“Ridge and I argued after he met her because I felt like he didn’t put in enough effort with her the first time,” she explained. “Obviously he was nervous and was in his own head about it all which made him pull back, but once we spoke about it, we took a few hours and then all went to Luna Park together and it was a lot better.”
Just days after her telling comments, eagle-eyed fans spotted a ring during the couple’s trip to Airlie Beach, leaving many wondering if the MAFS couple were engaged.
The couple took to Instagram to subtly show off the jewlserry on Jade’s ring finger as they enjoyed a meal together. The “soft launch,” caption further fuelled rumours, however the couple have made no further comment.
Inside Ridge and Jade’s MAFS Journey
Ridge entered the experiment to put his bachelor lifestyle behind him and find true love. For the “right girl,” he shared that he would be ready to settle down and was looking for someone who knows how to laugh, doesn’t take herself too seriously and values family.
The experts matched him with Jade a 26-year-old EA who was ready to be a wife and was looking for a tall, tanned man who has dark hair and tattoos.
On paper, the duo seemed like the perfect pair, but Jade’s 7-year-old daughter was also part of the equation, with Jade admitting on the show she was looking for a man who would be a good fit for her family.
Jade and Ridge’s wedding wasn’t a trainwreck, but it sure wasn’t smooth sailing.
Ridge’s first impressions were questionable thanks to his jokes, reference to himself as “king of the jungle,” cheesy winks and giggling friends.
Jade’s friends quickly labelled him as “immature,” telling the cameras he gave off “frat boy vibes,” and Jade too shared concerns about his lack of maturity.
But while Jade was initially sceptical, Ridge’s response to the news she had a daughter seriously impressed the single mum and their relationship quickly turned a new corner.
“Her having a daughter doesn’t faze me one bit,” he later told the cameras. “Jayde seems like an awesome girl and I’ve always seen myself as becoming a dad.”
After smooth sailing through the rest of the season, the couple’s final vows came as no surprise.
“Jade, in the time we spent together you managed to bring out an even better version of myself – one I wasn’t even sure existed,” Ridge shared Jade. “You’ve helped me mature from a boy’s boy to the type of man I hope you would be proud to have, not just in your life, but Vee’s too.”
“Ridge…at the start of the experiment I really struggled to see your full potential,” Jade began. “I questioned if we were suited as a couple.”
“But when you met Vee it was smooth sailing…I firmly believe everything happens for a reason and I have no doubts in my mind that everything I have been through was worth it to have you standing here in front of me. You have shown me how to believe in a fairytale ending, I am all in on this.”
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