Their first dalliance may have ‘fizzled’, but it seems that Carina Mirabile and Paul Antoine’s Married At First Sight spark has ignited.
The bride and groom stunned viewers when it was revealed during their TV wedding they briefly dated before going on the show.
But the couple look set to last the second time around.
The pair appeared very loved-up as they did some shopping at Zetland Market in Sydney during filming last year.
Carina, 31, wore a pair of black leggings and matching black sweater under a stylish long brown overcoat.
She finished her look with a pair of black Adidas sneakers and white socks.
While her look exuded an air of casual cool, Carina’s choice of accessories were anything but low-key.
The reality bride had a $4000 black Chanel lambskin chain clutch strapped around her shoulder.
Meanwhile, Paul, 30, channeled his inner ‘rocker’ with a black leather jacket worn over a white V-neck button T-shirt.
Leaving the buttons undone to expose his hirsute chest, Paul kept the rocker theme going with a pair of flight blue denim jeans with distressed embellishments.
He finished his date look with white sneakers worn without socks and a pair of black sunglasses.
The couple looked chuffed to be in each other’s company as they happily perused the market stalls.
Walking hand-in-hand as they strolled, Carina and Paul appeared deep in conversation – sharing a joke at one point as they waited in line for coffee.
Carina and Paul briefly dated prior to their MAFS appearance.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, following the shock revelation, Paul explained the misunderstanding surrounding an alleged ghosting incident that occurred nearly a year before they were matched on the show.
‘I don’t think I ghosted her – we just fizzled out,’ he insisted.
‘At first, we were texting a lot and trying to plan a second date, but life got busy.’
‘She was tied up on her side, I was busy on mine, and it just fizzled out,’ he continued.
‘Looking back, I probably should’ve communicated better and told her where I was at.’
Reflecting on his mindset at the time, Paul revealed he simply wasn’t ready for a serious relationship.
‘I was in a headspace where letting anyone into my life wouldn’t have been the right thing to do,’ he admitted.
‘I should have probably said to her, “Hey, I think we should leave it there”, but I didn’t. That’s probably why she used the term “ghosted”, I guess.’
Despite Paul ghosting her after their initial connection, Carina admitted she was willing to give him another chance.
‘I’m a forgiving person. We all go through tough times, and I believe people deserve second chances. But he does have a lot of making up to do,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
One moment that helped Paul earn her forgiveness was his decision to address their past head-on during the wedding reception.
‘He went straight up to my parents and told them everything—that we’d met before and that he wanted to apologise. That took guts, and it really won me over,’ she said.