Love conquers all! While many Married at First Sight fans were skeptical about the longevity of Jamie Thompson and Elizabeth Bice’s marriage, the couple has proven to be stronger than ever since the cameras stopped rolling.
“Life has been really different but in a good way. Our care and love for each other has grown a lot and the way we handle things have been a lot better,” the couple, who appeared on Season 9 of the Lifetime hit, told Us Weekly exclusively. “But most importantly, our crazy fights are nonexistent and we are learning to really communicate.”
The couple explained that realizing “how much we cared about each other” and “wanting to make it work after the cameras stopped” has allowed them to “nurture a positive and healthy relationship.”
Viewers saw Jamie, 35, and Elizabeth, 30, had chemistry right off the bat. They also witnessed the pair engage in rather explosive arguments. The couple even called off their relationship a few times before making a final decision in the season finale on whether to stay together after the trial period.
Despite all odds stacked against them, they have committed to maintaining their nontraditional marriage after wrapping filming on the series.
“Married life for us has differed from our married friends and family. I guess it’s because they knew each other prior to marriage,” the couple told Us. “But honestly we have been in the ‘dating’ phase of our marriage and it’s been really fun. We continue every day to learn new things about each other — even learning the way we like each other’s coffee has been eye-opening on how much we have to discover about each other.”
They continued, “It’s also awesome to have someone you can live with and have fun with at the same time. We both realize marriage is something you will always need to work on and grow from and we both want to make that happen with each other.”
Just two weeks ago, the pair left Charlotte, North Carolina, for California’s Silicon Valley, where Jamie got a new job.
Jamie and Elizabeth said the “most exciting” part of the move is “the new things we are going to do together.”
“We both have grown up in the Carolinas and we just want to experience new things and open ourselves up to new opportunities,” they added. “In the fields of our careers, we both felt like we needed to go somewhere that would allow us to grow and develop, but at the same time we want to experience new things with each other. That was the biggest drive behind our decision to move.”
Season 10 of Married at First Sight will return to Lifetime on Wednesday, January 1, 2020. The upcoming season will follow five couples, instead of three or four, and feature two-hour-long episodes.
Check out pics from Jamie and Elizabeth’s road trip to California below!