Love expert Paul C Brunson on matchmaking and monogamy
MITYA UNDERWOOD
Relationship guru Paul C Brunson is known for dishing out smooth but straight-talking doses of relationship reality on two of the UK’s most popular dating shows.
A professional matchmaker – who is also Tinder’s Head of Global Research – Paul, 49, brings years of experience to Celebs Go Dating and Married At First Sight UK and has now packed everything he knows into his new book – Find Love.
Here, the dad-of-two chats exclusively to new about the book and explains why our satisfaction in relationships is on a downward spiral. He also spills the beans on the next series of MAFS UK, and shares when we might see a polyamorous couple on the experts’ couch.
Hi, Paul! You’re currently filming the newest series of MAFS UK. How’s it going?
Oh my God, it’s so good. I know everyone filming any series says that, but this is really incredible. We’ve got a dinner party tomorrow and a commitment ceremony this weekend and I cannot wait.
What can you tell us about the latest batch of newlyweds?
Well, the more successful the show becomes, the more it’s critiqued. The biggest critique recently is that we don’t have people who all want love. I’ve pushed back and said, “You can desire love and social status, I don’t think they’re mutually exclusive.” But in this series there’s no question that this group desires love.
You’ve been married to your wife Jill for 22 years. Have you had your own relationship problems to tackle?
The biggest issue we’ve had is we used to avoid arguments, especially in our matchmaking business. But we’ve learnt that being able to repair an argument is one of the most important skills you can have in any relationship. It’s the number one issue that couples have; we see it on Married At First Sight. That’s one of the biggest changes we made in our marriage. We have two boys, aged 13 and 10, and we will disagree in front of them, and then we’ll repair in front of them.
Of all the couples you’ve had on CGD and MAFS UK, who’s been your favourite?
I’m going to give you a twist – it’s Sam Thompson and Pete Wicks! I’m not kidding, they’re great people and I’m incredibly proud of them. They met on CGD, bonded on the show and they were able to elevate their careers together. They’re a great example of what a true partnership is.
That’s very sweet. What about a romantic couple?
The first MAFS UK series I did in 2020 is still the most su
