‘EXPERTS NEED THERAPY TOO!’
The trio are determined to up their perfect matches
WE’LL GET IT RIGHT THIS TIME! She has two decades of experience in relationship guidance, but new Married
at First Sight NZ expert Stephanie Dowse admits she and her husband of 29 years still see a therapist when their own romance hits a rocky patch.
“I try to use my own skills, but I’m not very good at it,” the Wellingtonian confesses. “Having a third person involved really helps you get things off your chest. We see someone if we really need it. It used to be every two to three years, but as we’ve grown up and matured, we’ve learnt to be direct with one another.”
Stephanie, 58, and her hubby Peter Riordan, 60, had only been on a few dates when he decided to join her on her OE in Europe.
She recalls, “We had to live together after only knowing each other for three months. It was a really testing time – similar to what the couples are going through on MAFS, so I’ll be able to relate.”
After they wed, Stephanie was keen to start a family, but Peter wanted to travel.
“So we struck a deal,” she says. “It’s all about negotiation! We spent six months travelling through India on a motorbike, then we had our baby, which was the best thing that ever happened to me. The idea we mightn’t have had our son terrifies me.”
Stephanie, whose boy Tim is now 23, was a big fan of the last season of MAFS but insists this series will be better. She tells, “The singles are coming on to the show for the right reasons. It’s not about TV or social media presence. These people really want help.”