It’s been a year of firsts for Emma Barnes, who took a huge leap of faith when she tied the knot with a total stranger on Married At First Sight UK and had her very first relationship broadcast on national television.
While she may not have found her happily ever after in husband Caspar Todd, Emma’s fun and warm nature has gained her an army of fans. In an exclusive chat with OK!, the 32-year-old shared what life after the Channel 4 show is really like, why she isn’t on speaking terms with Caspar and which of her castmates are on her Christmas card list…
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emmabarnes/instagram)Hi Emma! What was it like watching yourself on MAFS?
It’s been a different kind of stress! Watching my wedding was a shock. I thought we had a great day and it was a shock that it wasn’t how I remembered it. You also don’t get to see the private conversations other people have with the camera until it airs, and I think every single cast member has seen their partner say things that hurt them. Caspar and I both saw things from each other that were hurtful. We’d get a welfare call and the script before the show aired if a particularly tough episode was coming, so we knew what to expect. I will say, I definitely look a bit chubbier on TV. There were some bad angles!
How was filming in general?
Nothing like anything I’ve done before. I worked in an office. We were filming eight hours a day. You’re just chatting so it’s not super difficult, but it’s emotionally draining. I saw it a bit like living in university halls again, where your mates are in different apartments and you can go and get all the gossip. I spent a lot of time around other people’s apartments because Casper and I didn’t live together at first, so it was fun. The commitment ceremonies and dinner parties were intense. We had to be 90% ready at 7am and then we’d come home about half one in the morning. It was long!
Do you actually eat dinner at the dinner parties?
Ha! We don’t. After the mixer, we’d go back to our rooms to recuperate, then get served dinner off camera. Then we’d have the dinner party, where the food comes stone cold. They always served us really healthy, low-carb food, so we would all eat the bread rolls. Although, sometimes we’d throw them at each other if we were tipsy!
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Simon Johns / Channel 4)Were there any rules broken behind the scenes?
I broke a few. We couldn’t really speak to family, and sometimes you just wanted a private conversation. So when we went out for drinks, I’d go up to random people and say, “Excuse me, I’m in a really weird situation. Can I borrow your phone?” and call my sister on strangers’ phones. I also managed to get production to let me download an app called Hay Day, where you build farms and talk to other farms. I found my sister’s and messaged her on that. I called it Farm At First Sight, so she’d know it was me.
Was it tough, ending things completely with Caspar?
It was. When I got home I was in mourning. It felt like I’d given my whole life to this experiment. But I’m all about silver linings and I’m glad my heart was never broken. Having not been in a relationship before, I feel lucky I didn’t have my first heartbreak on TV – that was my biggest fear. I also feel lucky I never had sex on TV!
Your body type was a topic of conversation. Did that knock your confidence?
I absolutely was not going to let those comments get to me and still wore my gorgeous bikinis. But of course, they did get to me. It’s not necessaril y the “curvy” comments – everyone has a right to a type. It’s more that he hadn’t given me a chance, got to know me as a person, because I offer way more than a body shape. He’d written me off just because of my looks, when it’s a process.
How are things with Caspar now?
I’m ready to chat and be friends when he wants to be. If he doesn’t want to, that’s okay. It’s just a shame because I’m not a bad person and we are so lucky to share this experience. But we haven’t spoken since the beginning of October and that was an argument. Since then, we haven’t exchanged a word. I’m hoping time will heal. I think we’ll definitely end up meeting up. I might add him to my Christmas card list as an olive branch.
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Channel 4)Who are you still close with?
I love Kristina (Goodsell) so much, we FaceTime every day. I love all the cast, but we’re in different corners of the UK, so we don’t see each other much. We all text and have WhatsApp groups, even the lads. We talk all the time. There’s been a lot of drama since the show aired, but I’m not involved in it. I tell everyone I’m Switzerland!
What are your Christmas plans?
There’s a group of us that spend Christmas together – me, my sister and three friends. My parents go away, so they don’t mind. I usually cook a goose and we have it at my sister’s. We do a £100 Secret Santa and have a great time. We get drunk from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve! Polly (Sellman) lives around the corner from my sister, so she’ll get an invite to Friendsmas.
What about the new year, will you be doing much dating?
I don’t know how to date! I’m too scared of the apps. What pictures do you post? Could I use pictures from the show, in my wedding dress?! I’m scared of dating. Most lads who watch MAFS watch with a partner, so single guys wouldn’t know me, but it would be an awkward conversation when I had to tell them.
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