Burgers in bed seal the deal
Speaking different love languages has made the bond stronger for Art and Matilda Green.
For you, does love mean receiving gifts or physical touch? Perhaps it’s all about spending quality time together. For Art and Matilda Green, learning they speak different love languages has changed the way they approach their relationship – and each other.
Based on Dr Gary Chapman’s bestselling book, The 5 Love Languages, the test works on the premise everyone gives and receives love differently, both in romantic relationships and those with friends and family. The test suggests, by identifying and learning about those ‘‘languages’’, people can grow and understand each other better.
‘‘We found that really beneficial, because everybody speaks a different love language. We found that Art is more acts of service, so that’s little thoughtful things – and he’s very, very thoughtful – whereas I’m more words, saying it a lot is more how I show love,’’ Matilda Green says.
‘‘So I try really hard to do more thoughtful things and more little jobs to kind of help him out because I know that he really appreciates that and he tells me that he loves me more and tells me things that I need to hear because we understand each other.’’
The celebrity Bachelor couple are sharing the private side of their public love story in an episode of Being Human ,anew Stuff series that looks at different themes at the heart of the human experience, hosted by Antonia Prebble.
From their individual love languages to the pitfalls of meeting on reality television, the couple appear in an episode that, fittingly, explores the idea of love.
‘‘I think love means, to me, feeling completely safe and content and being free to be able to be yourself completely without judgment,’’ Matilda explains.
The couple say they value communication above almost anything else, and ‘‘talk about absolutely everything’’ – which is what they’ve done from the moment the cameras stopped rolling in 2015.
But that doesn’t mean it’s all been smooth sailing for the only couple to survive the Bachelor journey.
Matilda admits it took a long time for her to be truly comfortable being herself around her new boyfriend.
‘‘In the early stages, I was very much still kind of into image and stuff and I wanted to look nice all the time and for Art, that’s gone way out the window,’’ she says.
‘‘As soon as you get into a long-term relationship, it’s kind of like, well, you don’t stop caring but you’re just so comfortable and you’re so just in love with each other as you are as a person that it doesn’t really matter if I’ve got makeup on or my hair is done. I’m terrible most of the time and you don’t seem to mind.
‘‘It’s just another level of comfort where it’s not about that kind of physical attraction any more – it’s so much deeper than that.’’
The couple have been together for almost five years, and welcomed their son, Milo, last year.
Looking back, Matilda says she can now see the added, long-lasting benefits of starting a relationship on national television.
‘‘I think we’re kind of lucky because how we met was very weird and very unique but I think it kind of bonded us together. We went through this crazy experience together and we kind of grew through it together. And I think that was a big factor for us,’’ she says.
‘‘[Especially] in terms of our bond, because noone else can really understand it apart from us and we learned so much together.’’
But she admits, it wasn’t love at first sight when she stepped out of the limo and onto The Bachelor red carpet to meet Art for the first time.
‘‘ It was definitely connection at first sight – there was something there. There was a bit of an attraction, but I don’t really believe in love at first sight,’’ she explains.
‘‘I think it grows over time and the more you
kind of get to know each other and get to know your flaws and your strengths. But that first spark has to be there.’’
In fact, the love bit didn’t come until months after the show had finished, over burgers in bed.
‘‘I just wanted to be around Art 24/7. I didn’t want him to leave my flat. And I think I just loved everything about [him]. There was nothing that annoyed me. I mean sometimes [he is] kind of indecisive, but apart from that, nothing! And so I just told him, ‘Look, I love you’ and then we were all on from there. We love each other. It was eating BurgerFuel in bed after a big night so it was really romantic,’’ she jokes. – Bridget Jones