In tonight’s episode of Married At First Sight UK (Sunday 28 September), groom Paul, 60, was overcome with emotion just moments into the show.
As he prepared to meet his new wife Anita, 54, on the E4 dating programme, he opened up about his reasons for seeking a new partner.
“My approach to life is carpe diem, it’s as simple as that,” he started off.
Paul went on to say: “My life has been very tough and chequered, when I was around five years old, my father walked out and left and disappeared forever.
“I was desperate for a father figure growing up, I had no contact with him, period,” reports OK!
View 3 Images Paul on Married At First Sight UK(Image: E4)
“35 years later I received a phone call from The Salvation Army, ‘We’ve found your father’.
“Immediately decided the next day to visit him, got to the front door, and walked away. Didn’t knock on the door.
“Unfortunately, the day my son was born, he died.”
Breaking down into tears, Paul continued: “I wake up every day regretting that I didn’t knock on the door.
“With hindsight, not having those values and teachings from my father has affected me in the long-run.
View 3 Images Paul and Anita met each other at the altar(Image: E4)
“I think it’s certainly affected my marriage. I don’t think I knew how to be a husband – I had no yardstick, I had no one to follow.
“My experience of marriage has made me very, very cautious. I haven’t dated since.”
Shortly after Paul’s introduction, viewers soon learnt his new-wife Anita had also faced a difficult experience with her last marriage.
Choking back tears, she shared: “18 months ago, my whole world was turned upside down.
“My mum suddenly passed away in November, I got made redundant the week before Christmas and my partner walked out on Christmas Eve.
View 3 Images Anita was about to marry Paul(Image: E4)
“Within six weeks, I felt like I’d lost everything.
“I was devastated after the relationship broke down, I had no inkling to think that it was going to end.
“I thought we wanted the same thing at the end of the road, obviously he didn’t have the same ending that I wanted.
“I just sat and cried to be honest, but then thought I’ve got to get up and start planning for the month ahead so I had something to look forward to, so I started putting a list together of things I wanted to try.”
With her new adventurous spirit, will Paul be the “silver fox” Anita is looking for, as she hopefully shared: “After everything I’ve been through, I still believe in love.”