Channel 4’s Married At First Sight is back on our screens, with avid fans tuning in weekly to witness all the romance and drama set to unfold. One contestant in the limelight is Brisolian star Emma Barnes, who won the viewers’ hearts for her bubbly personality and charm — but also for her rather controversial start to the show.
Married At First Sight sees 16 participants paired up by relationship experts. Each fresh relationship commences at the altar, with the eight pairs of strangers initiating their relationships through marriage. Following this, they cohabit and live as a married couple, participating in weekly commitment ceremonies where they converse about their budding relationships with the experts.
Sales executive Emma, 32, was partnered up with New Forest gardener Caspar Todd. However, their relationship became stunted due to her apparent resemblance to Caspar’s sister and issues surrounding attraction. Despite this, Emma has praised Caspar for being her perfect match as he “hit all three nails on the head” when she saw him at the end of the aisle.
What was Emma looking for in a partner? She hoped to be paired with someone who shared her sense of adventure and some of her passions for wild swimming, competing in triathlons, and climbing mountains. In an introductory video, shared on the MAFS UK Instagram page, Emma said: “I would make the perfect partner because I’m a catch. I love the football, I love cooking, I love having fun. I love going to the pub. I’m very kind, I’m also very loyal. My love language is definitely acts of service.”
But why did Emma turn to the show to find her perfect match? Speaking exclusively with Bristol Live, Emma admitted her struggles dating in Bristol. Despite being a “true Bristol girl,” Emma was born in Oxford, and she moved West for university, where she fell in love with the area and didn’t leave – but wasn’t able to find that special person.
Emma shared: “I came here for uni, so I’ve lived here for 15 years, and I haven’t left since. I would say 10 of those years after uni, dating was hard in Bristol. The challenge I found on the Bristol dating scene is it’s not like London.
“There’s a lot of like ecowarriors out there. To find someone who likes the football, but also likes the fancy cocktails and likes to dress up and go on a big boozy night out, but is also eco-conscious, it was a difficult thing to find.”
She added: “I have a thing for, and Caspar’s included in this, I have a thing for farmers and country boys. And they’re sometimes hard to find because we’re in the city.
“It’s hard to find the balance of glammy guys who likes the football and likes to go out for a pint and that’s what I struggled with for years. That took me to do something wild.
“Caspar was great for that as a match, he hit all three nails on the head, so when I walked down the aisle I thought ‘ooo yeah’.”
When asked about the dating scene in the city, Emma revealed: “I love King Street for a first date. Always suggest to go to King Street.
“Yeah, loads of pubs. It’s always a good vibe because the inside, because the outside, there’s always live music and there’s always room for cocktails.”
Emma revealed that when she was dating, her go-to app was Hinge. She enthused: “You can find out a little bit more about people on Hinge. I was too scared to do a voice note.
“I always had a really good chat up line when I was dating. I had a really good chat up line. My first response, I always google what National Day it is. I’d find the rogue-est one. And it would be like, ‘Happy National Lasagne day, how are you celebrating?'”
Despite not finding love in the city, the MAFS star concluded her interview with all the things she loves about Bristol. She shared: “I adore so many things about my beautiful city. I love the green space, the fact I can cycle for 10 minutes and be in rolling countryside.
“I’m 100 per cent a foodie, and I love the variety of restaurants, pubs and people in them! Wherever I end up in my life over the next few years, I will always know Bristol as my home – and totally see myself retiring in a cottage in Chipping Sodbury!
“I love that it’s a city where you can strike up conversations with the person next to you on the bus – you don’t get that in London!”