TRACEY JEWEL The MAFS star shows off her new man.
The ‘Married at First Sight’ star finds love closer to home: ‘I have my happy-ever-after’
Snuggled up on the couch with her venture-capitalist beau, Patrick Kedemos, at Sydney’s Intercontinental Hotel on a chilly Sunday, it’s clear the dramas of the past few months are the furthest thing from Married at First Sight star Tracey Jewel’s mind. After being at the centre of the cheating scandal between her MAFS “husband,” Dean Wells, and Davina Rankin, Tracey, 35, dated MAFS alumni Sean Thomsen.
In May, she split with FIFO worker Sean and has now reunited with her ex-partner and “rock,” Patrick, 45. The Perth-based pair dated before she began filming MAFS and recently reconnected at an Anthony Robbins seminar in Cairns—and haven’t looked back since. Says Tracey with a smile, “I have my happy-ever-after.”
In Sydney to promote her new book, This Goddess Means Business, Tracey adds, “I have no regrets because it got me to this point today and I feel like everything is just aligning now. I feel like I’m living a fairytale, to be honest. Patrick is an amazing man.” Accompanied by Patrick’s two teenage children from his first marriage, the couple chatted with WHO’S Amy Mills about moving in together, marriage and MAFS.
You two seem so happy! Tell us a little about how you reunited? Tracey We are happy! Being in self-development, we were there [at the seminar] to discuss future goals and what you want for your life. It became really clear how aligned we were in our goals and what we wanted in life. It was perfect timing and really assured me that we are on the same page.
How is everything going? Tracey
We love each other very much. We are delighted to be together.
Patrick We’ve always been in each other’s lives since we met and we are very happy to come back to each other.
Patrick, what do you love about Tracey? Patrick
She’s intelligent, she has a very good sense of humour, she’s good-looking and she really has the ambition to do something with her life. She is extremely pleasant to be around and that’s probably what stands out when you meet Tracey—she is very likeable. My kids are comfortable with her and she has this energy and vitality; she wants to live life to the fullest and that’s what we all try to find.
Given the public criticism she’s received, do you consider Tracey a strong woman? Patrick
Yes, that’s why we get along so well, because I’m not always going to agree with her! She needs a strong man and she knows, to a large extent, that I’m the only guy who could handle her. [ Laughs]
How did you initially meet back in 2016? Patrick
We met through a friend. I was, until quite recently, the French consul in Western Australia, so I was invited to functions with senior politicians and everyone is married. I needed a date to come with me to an event, so I called a mutual friend and asked if she had a lovely date for me. She said, “Yes, I do!” Tracey and I clicked immediately.
Why did you decide to part ways in 2017? Tracey
It was just timing. Patrick is a very busy man and I was doing my own thing. Obviously, watching the show was difficult and I chose not to be in touch with him while the show was airing so I didn’t make things worse. He was travelling while the show was on, so he kind of got away with it.
Patrick I think she needed to have this experience; it was important for her. Of course, everything comes with downsides, so it hasn’t been 100 per cent positive but it certainly has been an experience that, despite what some people might think to be superficial, brought us a lot closer
Tracey, how does your relationship with Patrick differ from those you had with Dean and Sean? Tracey
When you do that show, you can get confused with what is real-life and what isn’t. I know Patrick is real but I couldn’t say the same for Sean and Dean. Sometimes, I didn’t know the difference between what was real and what was for TV or for media opportunities. When you’re questioning your relationship based on what’s real and what isn’t, that is not normal. I don’t have to question anything with Patrick because he’s so stable. He is such a rock.
Were you hurt by the backlash you’ve received after breaking up with Sean and the suggestion you were with Patrick the whole time? Tracey
I’ve been criticised from jumping from one relationship to another, but guys don’t have the same criticism going from one girl to another, right? I’ve done nothing wrong. There was no overlap between Dean and Sean or Sean and Patrick whatsoever. When I’m done, I’m done and I move on fast because I know what I want. What’s wrong with that? Patrick is so supportive. He is really proud of me and the way I handled myself and it shows what an incredible guy he is to be able to get over that. It hasn’t affected our relationship at all.
Patrick, it must be upsetting for you? Patrick
You never want to see people you love be hurt, but at the same time, Tracey has very thick skin. She has always been a strong individual, but this experience definitely made her a lot stronger and is what brought us closer. I am a strong individual myself. We both look at the situation as a growth experience and often say anything that doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. That is certainly what has happened.
Do you have plans to move in together? Patrick
That is very much on the cards. We are going to travel a lot in the next couple of months but, yes, after that. We love each other, so it’s not a question of whether things will occur or not, it’s just a matter of taking
things one step at a time.
Have you discussed marriage and children? Tracey
We have three kids between us. Before we can move in, we want to experience day-to-day life together as we haven’t had an opportunity to do that yet. We are just happy to be back together.
Patrick We all want to find the person we are going to spend the rest of our life with. If everything goes well, of course, that will be on the cards at some point but it’s not like we are setting a deadline for ourselves. We are just happy to take life as it comes. •
“Patrick is so supportive. He is really proud of me” —Tracey Jewel