If you’ve been watching Married At First Sight like us, you’ll know who John Aiken is.
John has been one of the relationship experts on MAFS for all 10 seasons, giving advice to the couples and stepping in when need be (for example, he allowed Josh and Caitlin to leave the show even though their respective partners, Melissa and Shannon, wrote ‘stay’ during the commitment ceremony).
WATCH: Josh breaks silence on MAFS exit
But did you know that John used to professionally play cricket?
From 1989 to 2001, John was a left-handed batsman and played for two New Zealand teams during this time: the Wellington Firebirds and the Auckland Aces.
New Idea recently spoke with John, so we asked why he stepped back from cricket and then changed careers so drastically.
“I realised, you know, I probably wasn’t gonna make it as a cricketer, and go all the way. So I pivoted and went totally into relationships, and private practice, and really was very happy with that. But then in 2014, I got an email to audition for the show [Married At First Sight], which kind of changed my life,” John said.
John then spoke fondly of his time as a cricketer before revealing that he learnt a lot of life lessons through cricket; lessons that now help him navigate the tougher aspects of MAFS.
“I mean, it was great for me, I got to travel. You know, I went to England, and I played a lot of touring teams like the West Indies, Sri Lanka and South Africa, and I met amazing people along the way. And so I kind of really loved that sort of life that I had as a cricketer, up until probably the age of 30.”
WATCH: Shannon’s Married At First Sight audition tape
“And then [I realised I had] the next stage of life to go to and so that’s kind of what I did, but it certainly taught me a lot of lessons about getting along in a team environment and being selfish and, you know, speaking up,” John continued.
“[Cricket also taught me how] to deal with challenges and failure and adversity because even though we’re on this massive show, you know, you still have to deal with things like social media, and trolls, and all sorts of challenges. So it really, I think, set me up. Well, it gave me a thick skin.”
Married At First Sight airs on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays on 9 and 9Now.
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