Martha Kalifatidis may have made a name for herself by throwing red wine on her Married At First Sight co-star, but it’s her relationship with TV groom Michael Brunelli that has really made history.
Now the couple are engaged and have welcomed their first child together, so how did they go from a reality TV romance to one of the biggest power couples MAFS has ever produced?
The ratings giant may not be renowned for its relationship success rate, but from the moment Martha and Michael met in 2018 on their TV wedding day sparks flew – for Michael at least.
“She’s beautiful. She looked absolutely amazing. She’s got this huge smile and it just drew me in. I think I’ve struck gold,” the then-27-year-old primary school teacher said as his bride approached him.
Meanwhile Martha, who was 30 when she tied the knot on national TV, later admitted to TV WEEK: “My first impressions of Michael were, ‘Okay, I’m going to get arrested for making out with a toddler.’ I was scared to ask him how old he was, I didn’t want to know.”
She added: “He looked like he just got back from schoolies, fresh out of high school. He was clean shaven and all shiny, like a baby. I thought he was going to say he was 22. I was mortified. But no, he wasn’t that young, he just obviously gets heaps of sleep, does yoga and drinks his green smoothies.”
Michael may not have been her type physically when they met, but the attraction grew as the series progressed.
Along with co-stars Jules Robinson and Cam Merchant, the two went on to be one of season six’s golden couples and proclaimed their love for one another at the final vows ceremony.
“I can definitely imagine my future with Michael,” Martha told TV WEEK in 2019 shortly after their finale aired. “Our foundations are similar and we have strong family values.”
She added: “I do want to have children one day – I don’t think I’m ready now, though. [But] I could imagine having a family with him. Yes, definitely.”
Two years on from their season airing, Martha and Michael also attended the 2021 MAFS Grand Reunion special and revealed more insights into their relationship.
“She brings something out in me and I can calm her down. I’m an introvert, I don’t say a lot. Two years ago I probably didn’t have the confidence – Martha’s been able to pull that out of me and make me feel comfortable to speak my truth, and I feel like for me that is a huge personal growth,” Michael confessed.
Meanwhile Martha described their MAFS experience as “really incredible”.
“Obviously we got to find each other but the amount of growth in the past two years, it wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t take the plunge and take the risk. Geez it paid off and I’m so grateful,” Martha told experts Mel Schilling and John Aiken.
The influencer and makeup artist also revealed that she thought she and Michael would meet “no matter what”.
“I always say Michael and I meeting was like fate and I know it’s so cheesy because I hate saying cheesy s*** like that but I really think it is otherwise it doesn’t really make sense,” Martha told the Shameless podcast in February 2021.
“I think we were going to meet no matter what. Michael actually in Melbourne lives five minutes away from my parents’ house. No matter what happened, in this lifetime we were going to meet and be together.”
Speaking of her partner in an Instagram Q&A, Martha remarked: “He is my perfect match. We complement each other so well. I honestly don’t think I’d be doing half the things I’m doing if it wasn’t for him!”
Fans were overjoyed when the pair finally decided to make it official (again) and Michael asked Martha to marry him in 2021. And of course, she said yes!
The bride-to-be announced the news with a beautiful selfie of her and Michael in bed as she flashed her stunning diamond ring, captioning the shot simply: “Mrs B.”
Speaking on KIIS FM’s Will & Woody soon after, Martha admitted the engagement ring, featuring an emerald cut diamond and stunning yellow gold band, was “close, but just a bit under” $110,000. Talk about a rock!
She also revealed that Michael proposed to her at a Met Gala themed party with all their friends, adding that “it was really cute… It was also so well planned and thought out.”
In no rush to get married (after all, they’ve done it once before) the newly engaged couple jetted off for a European holiday in 2022 where they looked more loved-up than ever – and it would be the end of their terrific twosome before they became three.
Then Martha suddenly fell ill and the pair were forced to rush home to Australia, with Michael staying by his fiancée’s side as she battled an unnamed illness and took time away from social media.
Fans grew more concerned when the couple didn’t return to the internet for weeks on end, only to be greeted with the most delightful news in early September 2022: Martha was pregnant!
She and Michael shared the news with followers in a joint Instagram video where Martha revealed she had actually been suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, also known as extreme morning sickness, which is why they had left Europe and gone offline.
“I don’t want to sound like I am complaining, we are so excited, we are so happy. It was a complete surprise. But at five weeks I was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum, which is basically severe chronic nausea and vomiting with no relief,” she explained.
“It is like 24/7. I literally did not get out of bed for two months, I was so sick. I could not eat or drink anything. There were days that I did not even get up to pee.”
Fortunately, she was able to find medication that helped her manage the condition and in February 2023, the couple welcomed their son, Lucius.
The happy couple have loved sharing precious moments with Lucius – or Looch – online with fans. From his Greek Orthodox Christening, to his first overseas trip, to his first Christmas, fans have been taken along for the ride.
Sharing a snap of Lucius in Italy in July, Martha wrote: “This time last year when we were in Rome we found out I was pregnant… today you’re 5 months and I still don’t believe you’re here and you’re ours.”
On Father’s Day, she shared a post honouring Michael.
“Happy Father’s Day to the best there is,” she wrote. “You’re our champion, we’d be lost without you… truly. You do it all, with a smile. Love you!”
While she may have an engagement ring on her finger, Martha reveals she’s in no rush to tie the knot. The couple want to take their time before saying “I do.”
“The only thing for me is that I want Lucius to be involved, and if that means him walking down the aisle with the rings then that’s what we’ll wait for,” Michael told Nine.
Martha added: “I feel like, maybe we’ll have another baby before we have a wedding.”
“I think for our grandparents to be able to come is one of the most important things for us. As much as I want to do it overseas, they wouldn’t be able to come and it wouldn’t feel whole,” Michael also shared.
“At our core, that’s the most important thing for us.”
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