'If wasn't for the show, we'd have given up’

We were on the edge of our seats throughout the entirety of this year’s Married At First Sight UK.
While most couples on the show have since gone their separate ways, there’s one duo who’ve powered through, taking on the advice from experts Paul C Brunson, Mel Schilling and Charlene Douglas.
Jenna Robinson and Zoe Clifton were the first lesbian couple to go on the show and also the only people who came out the other end stronger than ever.
The pair had their fair share of ups and downs, including arguments about veganism and worries over Zoe’s now-famous Mr Pickles – a pickled rat she keeps in a jar. But, having worked through their issues together, they’re now a thriving, fully-fledged couple on the outside world. “We’ve said the L word…” Jenna shares.
Now, the loved-up twosome are ready to open up about their romance both on and off screen. As well as dish the dirt on their MAFS co-stars!
In their first-ever photoshoot post-show, Jenna, 33, and Zoe, 31, tell us all the juicy behind-thescenes show secrets, the cruel trolling they’ve experienced and why Matt Murray really disappeared during the reunion episode.
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How has your relationship been going since the show?
Zoe: The experiment was a lot for both of us and it was nice to go back and breathe a little bit. We’ve been enjoying dating.
Jenna: It’s like doing a relationship backwards. We got married, moved in together and once the experiment was over, we went back into normal life. Then we started dating, getting to know each other in our own home environments.
Zoe: We’re stronger than ever. Every week [on the show] you’re constantly tested, learning about boundaries, whereas now it’s nice to just breathe and enjoy each other.
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What was the highlight of your journey?
Jenna: I think our turning point was the retreat week. We got a lot closer then.
Zoe: We had a few fallouts during the honeymoon and a couple of weeks after that we went on the retreat – we kind of went into it as a bit of a team.
Jenna: It felt like we were then a united front when we went into all these different dinner parties.
What was the hardest part?
Jenna: We had a couple of moments where we’d have these fallouts and then I would say off camera, “I don’t know if we’re going to come back from this.”
Zoe: I don’t think Jenna wanted to [leave], what she wanted was a reaction because she was annoyed. Jenna has a habit of saying things in the [heat of the] moment.
Jenna: I’m very reactive with my emotions. I need to take a step back in the moment and then really think about how I actually feel and what I want. The experts helped us learn how to resolve these conflicts, because we’re both very stubborn and independent people. In the real world, I don’t know if we would have…
Zoe: …I think we would have given up earlier. I think that’s the importance of the experiment really. There were times that we would have given up, but we pushed through.
How did it feel to be the first lesbian couple on MAFS UK?
Zoe: It’s a big thing for us because it was an opportunity for us to represent and make the community proud. That was quite important to both of us.
Jenna: I think we’re just very lucky that our relationship has worked out, that we’ve both met someone who we genuinely like, and that it has been a success. Because it might have been the complete opposite way. But I think we have been, hopefully, a good representation for the lesbian community.
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Have you moved in together?
Zoe: We’re not living together.
Jenna: We have those conversations, but no solid plans. It’ll happen naturally at the right time. We’ve spoken about two places: Brighton or Manchester. I think Brighton would be the ideal place for both of us.
Have you thought about making your marriage legal? 
Zoe: There are natural steps, I wouldn’t rule out marriage.
What about kids in the future?
Zoe: The other day Jenna thought she was going through the menopause because she’s so dramatic. Anything that happens to her, she’ll self-diagnose. She said, “I think I’m going through menopause. I feel like I need to freeze some eggs,” which insinuates…
Jenna: I told her the door is slightly open. I think it’s just that I’ve never been in the right relationship, or had that secure relationship and financial stability, [so] I never considered it before. Maybe it’s opened my eyes a little bit to think that [kids] could be a possibility.
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What happened to your pickled rat, Zoe? Is Mr Pickles still with you?
Zoe: Yeah, it’s in the car. It doesn’t usually come travelling with us, but we just filmed something last night and I wanted to take Mr Pickles. It was a gift, it came pre-pickled. Me and my friend had an agreement at Christmas, we would both buy each other a gift and it had to be the most horrific thing you’ve ever seen. Mr Pickles was found at a tattoo convention. I’m not getting rid of it, but I may expand – maybe get a pickled hedgehog and call it Mr Prickles.
Jenna: I think people thought that I would have more of an issue with it than I do, but I’m actually quite chill about it. As long as he’s nowhere near the kitchen, I’m happy.
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A big topic of discussion between you on the show was living a vegan lifestyle. Do you feel like you’ve come to a good understanding about it now?
 Zoe: I think the whole vegan thing was blown [out of proportion]. We spoke about it way more than we should have done. But, generally, we basically both eat what we want to eat wherever we go.
Jenna: I’ve always been comfortable with it. There was obviously conflict to do with that topic, but it was minor. I’m only surrounded by people who aren’t vegan in my normal life anyway – my family aren’t vegan. I think it came across like I was a militant vegan, but I’m not.
Zoe: I was a little bit defensive as well, because I automatically assumed that she was going to turn her nose up at me.
Jenna: I think Zoe felt judged before I judged her and vice versa. I think that was the root of our arguments – both feeling judged and both feeling like the other person thought we wouldn’t compromise. 
What was it like watching everything back on MAFS UK? Were you shocked by anything?
Jenna: Not necessarily our own relationship. The shocks were more to do with other people’s relationships and what went on behind closed doors.
Zoe: Kasia [Martin] and Kwame [Badu] were a big shock for us. They kind of presented themselves in a different way in front of the group.
Jenna: We just thought they were a strong couple that were slowly getting into this place of intimacy.
Zoe: They gave off the impression, towards the end, that because the intimacy wasn’t growing, it was like a business decision – that they were both in it for the business opportunities that can come off the back of [the show]. And when you watch it, especially from Kasia’s side, that definitely wasn’t the case.
Jenna: You could see she genuinely liked him. Now looking back, it looks like Kwame was there for the business opportunities, but I always thought it was the other way around.
Is there anything important that wasn’t shown?
Jenna: On the morning of the wedding, I had a rose sent to Zoe with a note just being like, “Can’t wait to finally see your face, hope you are excited, but a tad nervous like me.” I thought it was quite a nice gesture that, someone who’s femme-presenting, would buy flowers for the more masculine [person] in a lesbian relationship.
Zoe: Jenna did loads of romantic things and I did one or two things… It was Jenna’s birthday about a week after we’d met. So I went into the shops and thought I’d get her a nice chocolate gift. But the only chocolate was this massive £50 Easter egg, reduced from £100, it was the snazziest Easter egg you’ve ever seen. I thought I might as well get that. I got back, gave her the Easter egg and panicked. Everyone mocked me about it.
Any behind-the-scenes secrets you can share?
Jenna: There’s hours in between ...