Of all 13 couples who were matched by experts Mel Schilling, John Aiken and Alessandra Rampolla on the new series of Married At First Sight Australia, only one has emerged stronger than ever. Former exes Rhi Disljenkovic and Jeff Gobbels, who were reunited on the show, are this year’s success story as they give their romance a second go on and off screen.
Melbourne natives Rhi, 34, and Jeff, 40, shocked many when they first clapped eyes on each other at the altar. Not only did they know each other, they also used to date! Turns out account manager Rhi and electrician Jeff previously dated for about a month, after both their long-term relationships ended. ‘We dated for like a month last year. Luckily we ended on really good terms, as we’d both come out of long-term relationships,’ Rhi said.
But the pair decided they were ‘better off being single’. Jeff explained, ‘I guess we friend-zoned each other. It’s a bit bizarre.’ Moving beyond the friend zone was their biggest challenge and Rhi told Jeff during Confessions Week, ‘P.s. you need to make the first move.’ During Intimacy Week, they took their partnership to the next level – all thanks to Alessandra’s tasks – and shared a ‘nerve-wracking’ kiss. ‘It was a nice kiss, it was nice and passionate,’ Jeff said.
Despite some drama (it wouldn’t be MAFS without it), Rhi and Jeff stayed as one of the strongest couples on the show. At Final Vows, they declared they were ‘falling in love’ with one another. ‘Rhi, you’re it for me. I choose you and I hope this is forever,’ Jeff said. ‘I knew I wanted to be in a relationship. Final Vows for me was a very easy decision.’ Rhi added, ‘In the end, I wouldn’t change a thing.’
Are Rhi and Jeff still together?
Rhi and Jeff are still going strong, having decided to continue their relationship beyond the dating experiment.
‘I didn’t have to think twice at all. It was definitely an easy choice, thankfully,’ Rhi said. Jeff added, ‘I’m a pretty positive person so I did go into it hoping that would happen and really believing it would happen for me. And luckily it did.’
The couple are going to see what the next 12 months bring for them. ‘I think this is what we’re going to do for about a year and we’ll reassess from there,’ Rhi said.
Rhi and Jeff have denied rumours that they are planning to get engaged, amid growing speculation that their romance is getting serious. Jeff explained, ‘I don’t know where that rumour came from – that we’re coming into the reunion engaged or something. That’s incorrect. It is still a fresh relationship. We’ve got so many things we want to do first – travel, spend time with family and friends. But if everything keeps going well like it is now, then who knows?’
Rhi said, ‘There was an element of pressure during the experiment, where we felt like we had to fast-track things because other people were going faster, but I’m really glad we took it at our own pace. As long as we're heading in the right direction, that's all that matters.'