POTTY AT FIRST SIGHT!
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When he was 11 years old, a teacher handed Marriedat First Sight groom Jonathan Trenberth a copy of HarryPotterandthe Philosopher’sStone, and his obsession with the bespectacled wizard began.
The same age as J. K. Rowling’s iconic character, Jono says that there were many similarities between the pair.
“It was this total connection to the nerdiness and then something about being special and not knowing it,” the 31-year-old says.
At the start of the first book, Harry, who is miserable at home with his aunt and uncle, receives a letter beckoning him to Hogwarts. While he had a happy childhood, Jono was just beginning to be bullied and wanted the same.
“I got a piece of paper and I burnt the edges, got a green pen and I wrote my own letter,” he laughs, adding that he put it in the letterbox for his parents to discover.
Since then, his passion has never wavered. At 26, he got his first HarryPotter tattoo by ink specialist Kieran Fenton – he now has four! And, learning that J. K. Rowling came up with Harry’s story while on a train journey, the avid fan decided to make the trip too.
“The cool thing is that as you go through little towns and villages, she’s actually named characters after the stops,” says Jono. “I think people are going to think I’m a mad obsessive but I’m a normal guy, trust me ... but I do read the books every year, all seven of them.”
He admits getting bothered by people who haven’t read the books saying they’re fans, however, MAFS bride Carmen Stimpson might disagree! The 25-year-old was so obsessed that she watched a HarryPotter movie every day during her first year of university, where she was studying patisserie. Since then, she claims she has seen each one countless times.
But is it a deal breaker when it comes to lasting love with her husband James Hardy, 29?
“Jimmy has only watched the first HarryPotter movie,” Carmen shares. “But I’ve told him we’re definitely going to have to watch all of them.”