Michael Goonan may have fallen hard and fast for his TV bride, Stacey Hampton, but their turbulent relationship fell apart shortly after Married at First Sight wrapped up.
Now, in a New Idea exclusive, the controversial groom and his new girlfriend – MAFS co-star KC Osborne, Drew Brauer’s former bride – open up about how they fell for each other.
WATCH: MAFS’ Michael admits he’s ‘punching’ after confirming relationship with KC
How long have you two been seeing each other?
MICHAEL: Five weeks. Only our close family and friends have known about us.
How did you keep your romance under wraps?
MICHAEL: With great difficulty! We caught separate flights to the same location, walked in public separately and dated behind closed doors.
KC: There’s a wine bar near Michael’s house where we’d go and share a cheese platter and wine in a private room.
Why did you decide to go public with your romance?
MICHAEL: We feel like our relationship has been spoken about in public forums, not allowing us the ability to shed light on how our relationship actually started.
KC, Stacey said you’re no longer friends because you met up with Michael after he broke her heart. Did you actually hook up during filming?
KC: No, but we got along really well. And we both thought each other was attractive so we remained friends after the experiment and shared a few phone calls.
At what point did you both realise you had feelings for each other?
MICHAEL: After I hung up from one of our phone calls, I couldn’t stop smiling at the thought she was coming to Melbourne to meet me for a date.
KC: After meeting up with Michael a week after the reunion, he hugged me goodbye and I got butterflies.
So, Stacey knew you were an item, but what about Drew?
KC:I went for lunch with Drew after filming the Today show and he asked if the rumours were true. I couldn’t lie to him, so I told him that we were dating. Drew was nothing but supportive and agreed to keep it a secret. We finished off by having a glass of wine and toasting to the good times we had in the experiment.
MICHAEL: Enough time has passed now so we hope we can all move on and be happy.
KC, what were your thoughts on Stacey and Michael’s ‘marriage’?
KC: I always liked Stacey and Michael – I thought he brought out a fun side in Stacey. I think they both learned a lot from each other but personally I never thought it was going to last. Once trust is broken, it’s very hard to get back.
Michael, what did you think about KC and Drew’s relationship?
MICHAEL: I was confused … I thought they were both gorgeous people and a good-looking couple, [but] I couldn’t understand why he was so reserved towards KC. As an outsider looking in, I always felt like she was putting in more effort than him.
KC, are you concerned about some of the allegations that have been made about Michael’s womanising and partying?
KC: Before I said yes to being his girlfriend, I asked him to come clean about everything so that no future allegations could rock us and he went into detail about everything. Yes, he was a naughty boy, but he is my naughty boy now!
What do you want Australia to know about Michael? He’s been criticised for the cheating scandal with Hayley Vernon and his trouble–making antics on the show…
KC: Michael was himself on the show. I think people would be surprised at how well he treats me. Michael gives me his all in this relationship and honestly, I could not be happier.
Has it been hard watching each other with other people on TV?
KC: Yes! We sometimes watch it sitting on the opposite ends of the couch.
Some people may think this relationship is fake…
MICHAEL: These people are the same people that believe the world is filled with conspiracy theories. There is zero benefit in us having a fake relationship.
Do you have any plans to move in together or get engaged?
MICHAEL: It’s love. We
have one hell of a journey ahead of us – everything is on the table. We moved in together last week.
Michael, do you plan on introducing KC to your son Connor?
MICHAEL: Yes, KC has met him.
KC: He is a cutie.
Have you guys talked about having your own kids one day?
MICHAEL: One hundred per cent. I think KC would be the best mum. A little dancing pop star! We are excited to start the next chapter.
Do you have any regrets about going on MAFS?
KC: I have no regrets. I loved filming the show and everything it taught me. I learned so much from Drew and even though I didn’t find love on the show, it led me
to finding love now and I couldn’t be happier.
MICHAEL: Obviously not – look who I get to wake up to every day!
For more, see this week’s New Idea – out now!
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