Exclusive: Carina and Paul reveal exactly how they knew each other before marrying on MAFS

EXCLUSIVE: Tying the knot on Married At First Sight usually means marrying a stranger, but that wasn't exactly the case when Carina walked down the aisle and saw Paul.

A little less than a year ago, the pair, who both hail from Perth, matched on a dating app where they texted for a week before going on a casual hiking date for a few hours.

Stream every episode of Married At First Sight for free on 9Now

After that meeting, Carina said things "fizzled" when Paul didn't follow up.

On their wedding day, Carina initially requested a new groom after realising she knew Paul, while he looked at their match as fate providing a second chance.

In an exclusive video, which you can watch above, Carina and Paul reveal their true feelings about knowing each other prior to the experiment.

Paul admitted when he first saw Carina he was "absolutely shocked".

"I thought, 'What are the chances?' But I was reassured because I knew she was such a nice girl," he explained.

"We're going to be able to start where we stopped and continue getting to know each other now."

Paul felt his and Carina's relationship was a case of "right person, wrong time".

"I was frustrated the first time we met because I knew how good of a person she was," he recalled.

On the other hand it took Carina a hot minute to warm up to the idea of revisiting things with Paul.

READ MORE: New MAFS bride Carina reveals the unbelievable twist at her wedding in first live TV interview

"My first impression was like, 'Oh s--t I know this person'," the 31-year-old told 9Entertainment.

"I'm so shocked this is the person I've been matched with by the experts and there's no way they would've known because we didn't follow each other on Instagram we had no mutuals."

But the Italian glamour said despite her initial confusion, she was overcome with a "sense of relief".

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"When I did go on a hike date with [Paul] we talked for hours we were getting along so easily and had so much in common," she said.

Watch the exclusive video at the top of the article to hear everything Carina and Paul had to say.

Married At First Sight continues Tuesday to Thursday at 7.30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.

Stream every episode of Married At First Sight for free on 9Now

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