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- From MAFS to Expecting a Child — Take a Look Back at Martha and Michael’s Relationship So Far
From MAFS to Expecting a Child — Take a Look Back at Martha and Michael’s Relationship So Far
by
Basmah Qazi
Instagram / @marthaa__k
It seems like only yesterday we watched makeup artist Martha Kalifatidis tie the knot to primary school teacher Michael Brunelli on Married At First Sight.
Believe it or not, the pair exchanged vows three years ago, and while not many reality TV couples make it past filming, Martha and Michael are still going strong.
So strong, in fact, that yesterday they announced that they’re expecting their first child.
The news took the internet by storm, and as fans of Married at First Sight, we couldn’t help but look back at their relationship.
Michael and Martha Marry at First Sight
For most people, the concept of marrying someone right after meeting them is a recipe for disaster.
And to be honest, it usually is — I mean, just take one look at the success rate of couples from Married at First Sight. Point proven.
However, Martha and Michael felt an instant connection the minute they laid eyes on each other, with Michael saying that he had “struck gold”.
As the show continued, the pair grew from strength to strength and even declared their love for one another in their Final Vows.
Michael and Martha’s Relationship After the Show
Following the experiment, Michael and Martha took their relationship to the real world. From surviving their first trip together to becoming social media icons, their relationship was thriving, and showed no signs of slowing down.
Michael and Martha Move in Together
If you’ve been following Michael and Martha’s journey, you would remember the heated discussion the pair had about where they would live if they moved in together.
Michael wanted to remain in Melbourne, and Martha was adamant about staying in Bondi, Sydney.
They say relationships are all about compromise, and during their Final Vows, Michael promised Martha that he would move to Sydney to be with her, and he stayed true to his word.
In early 2020, the couple moved into an apartment on Sydney’s Bondi Beach.
Michael also ended up quitting his teaching job to focus on his online fitness program, Tru Fit by Michael.
Martha, on the other hand, is now a successful influencer who boasts close to 650,000 Instagram followers.
The Couple Celebrates Three Years
After three glorious years together, Michael and Martha celebrated by sharing a series of hilarious videos from their time as a couple.
Michael and Martha Announce Their Engagement
In December 2021, Michael and Martha took to Instagram to announce their engagement.
“Mrs B,” the influencer captioned a photo of herself and Michael, with her brand new rock on display.
The Couple Move to Europe (Temporarily)
In April 2022, Michael announced that he and Martha were relocating to Europe to explore more opportunities.
“Martha and I spent some time making a big decision to move overseas for a while,” he said in a Q&A.
“We’ve had a few problems with our house and the fact that the world is essentially open again, we decided now is as good a time as any. It’s not a long-term move, but it’s a change we both wanted to experience.”
After fans started losing their minds, Michael was forced to clarify his comments.
“OK, so this morning I said Martha and I were moving away and I inadvertently set off a massive chain of events that I didn’t realise, which involved my family, my friends, calling me asking me what the f— is going on… and a lot of DMs. So let me clarify everything,” he started.
“We aren’t moving permanently. We are getting out of our house because of mould issues and leaking issues and a bunch of other things [and] putting our stuff in storage.
“And because of that, we are going over to Europe to work and because I haven’t experienced a European summer before.”
The Couple Announces That They’re Expecting!
In September 2022, Michael and Martha confirmed that they were expecting their first child together, and had found out while they were in Europe.
Martha had been noticeably absent from social media for weeks due to a mysterious illness.
However, the former MAFS star returned to announce the news, alongside Michael, in a video message.
While they are both thrilled, they did reveal that Martha’s pregnancy hasn’t been smooth-sailing, with complications leaving her bedridden.
“It’s been a minute since we’ve been online, so we wanted to explain our situation and make a little bit of an announcement, and that is that Martha is pregnant,” Michael revealed.
“It hasn’t been this exciting wonderful time for us,” Martha continued.
“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. 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.”
Martha revealed that she had lost 10 kilograms in five weeks and has been “in and out of the emergency room at hospital”.
“Here in Melbourne I’m seeing an amazing doctor and she has given me some medication which has literally been life-changing. It is helping me to feel human again and to start moving around again,” Martha continued.
They then explained their absence, saying they felt it was too soon to announce their pregnancy.
“We kind of just had to disappear offline and give a couple of excuses, and there were a lot of people that were concerned,” Michael revealed.
“If you did message us, thank you so much we do truly appreciate it,” he added.
