MAFS star says Covid lockdown was similar to his time on the show

Despite starring on two different international versions of the Married At First Sight franchise, Samuel Levi and Liam Cooper have become quite the ‘it’ couple since they started dating earlier this year.

Samuel, who appeared on MAFS New Zealand in 2018, has now opened up about his relationship with Australian contestant Liam and how their romance blossomed in an environment similar to that of the reality show.

MAFS' Liam Cooper and Samuel Levi.
MAFS New Zealand star Samuel Levi says his relationship with Liam Cooper during lockdown was similar to the MAFS experiment. Photo: Instagram/lcoop_13

“I have been living in Melbourne for some time and I went to New South Wales to see Liam for what was meant to be just a week,” the former TV groom told Herald Sun.

“That turned into 14 weeks because of lockdown and it was almost like doing the (MAFS) experiment all over again but together.

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“I reckon it fast-tracked things by at least six months. You get to learn a lot about each other in that small amount of time.”

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The happy couple first announced that they were dating back in July by sharing a loved-up selfie on Instagram.

“When a city boy finds his country boy,” Samuel wrote. “Life certainly works in mysterious ways. It looks like the ‘experiment’ worked out for the both of us.”

MAFS' Liam Cooper and Samuel Levi.
Liam and Samuel announced that they were dating back in July. Photo: Instagram/lcoop_13

Liam, who was partnered with Georgia Fairweather on the show, made history on MAFS Australia earlier this year as the first openly bisexual groom.

He also penned a lengthy caption on social media when revealing his relationship update, adding that he was “scared and nervous” but mainly happy.

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“I know I don’t have to explain my life or what I do but I am very open and honest and wanted to let you all know,” he wrote.

“I met this guy early this year after the experiment. We hit it off and we remained friends until recently. Samuel has shown me what support looks like, what trust looks like and much more.”

Samuel’s comments about their relationship come shortly after Liam opened up to The Wash about his time on the reality show and receiving hate online for his sexuality.

“I guess when you have supportive friends and family and surround yourself with those types of people, you almost forget that there are homophobic, biphobic people out there,” he admitted.

“So it surprised me when I received those comments, as I’d only had nothing but positive things generally being said to me [before the show].”

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