From tragedy to wholesome family life: Inside MAFS expert John Aiken's 19-year marriage to Kelly Swanson-Roe
John Aiken is the no-nonsense expert best known for delivering harsh truths to participants on the MAFS couch.
But when he's not watching the mayhem of the Dinner Parties and raising his eyebrows at the Commitment Ceremonies, you can find John at home with his wife and children.
The 55-year-old has just celebrated 19 years of marriage to his Kiwi wife, Kelly Swanson-Roe, 51.
The couple marked 19 years of marriage. Instagram @johnaikenlive
Stream every episode of Married At First Sight for free on 9Now
"Jan 21st, 2007 ❤️#happyanniversary" the expert celebrated alongside a sweet photo of the couple in Queenstown.
In honour of the milestone, we've done a deep dive on John and Kelly's relationship – from their early years to the secret to long-term love.
John and Kelly's relationship beginnings
John was born in Sydney but moved to Wellington, New Zealand when he was 12 for his father's job.
It was in NZ that John first saw Kelly, a former newsreader, in the media.
John first saw Kelly while she worked as a newsreader in New Zealand. Instagram @johnaikenlive
READ MORE: Meet the real-life partners of MAFS experts John Aiken, Mel Schilling and Alessandra Rampolla
He'd always admired her on screen, before they officially met when he was presenting at a conference Kelly was attending.
"I found myself doing a lot of my presenting to the corner she was sitting in," he joked in an interview with Woman's Day. "I sought her out in the coffee break and introduced myself."
The pair started out as friends but it was clear things were more serious when they began flying regularly between Auckland and Wellington to see each other.
John and Kelly started out as friends but knew things were more serious when they began flying to see each other. Instagram @johnaikenlive
When John and Kelly met, he discovered she had faced unimaginable tragedy. Kelly's first husband, Jon Roe, died in a canyoning accident in Switzerland, three years after they married. He was 30 and she was 24.
John openly embraced all of Kelly's past.
"Rather than saying, 'No, I need to be separate with Kelly,' I just said, 'I'm going to bring her past partner into the relationship and really make him a part of it all. And that really changed everything," John previously told 9Honey.
John and Kelly's wedding
John popped the question to Kelly at a restaurant in Sydney – after luring her there under false pretences!
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about MAFS 2026 Season 13
"Look, I lied to her to be honest. I said, 'I've got this book publisher that wants to meet with me'," John said.
"I had the ring with me and we went to a restaurant down at The Rocks, just under the bridge. I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. She didn't see that coming."
They married on January 21, 2007 on Waiheke Island, off the coast of Auckland.
John and wife Kelly on their wedding day in 2007. Supplied
John told 9Honey he had been calm and confident right up until the moment he saw his bride.
"I had never had felt that way before – it literally took my breath away. I struggled to talk.
"We called it 'New Beginnings', because for Kelly, it was – and myself – it was a real celebration of something special, to begin again."
John and Kelly's family life
The couple moved from New Zealand to Sydney in 2008 where they settled before becoming parents to their two children, son Aston, 15, and daughter Piper, 13.
Together John and Kelly are parents to Piper, 13, and Aston, 15. Instagram @johnaikenlive
"Their upbringing has been quite different to mine," he told Woman's Day.
"They're not into sport. We want them to do things they're curious about and to listen to their intuition. We're exploring different things with them. We travel as a family, and take them skiing and snowboarding or to exhibitions. They love art and are very creative – they get that from Kelly."
When he's not on our screens, John's a big family man. Instagram @johnaikenlive
To him, teaching his children kindness was very important.
"I'm around a lot of situations where people are not that kind. I want my kids to be affectionate," John said.
John told 9Entertainment that when he's not on MAFS, he's with his family.
"I spend a lot of time with the family. I try and get away for a couple holidays with the family and stay away from the spotlight."
John's secrets to relationship success
After 19 years of marriage, John has plenty of advice to share.
He told 9Entertainment that they had a few key things to keep their relationship strong.
"When one of us is under stress, the other person tries to listen but not fix," he began.
"I think we try and have little rituals of connection on a daily basis that keep us together, like having a coffee on the back deck in the early morning.
"And we're good at saying 'sorry' so that we can move forward."
Simple, but 19 years on, it is clearly effective!
Married At First Sight Season 13 premieres Monday, February 2 at 7.30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
Stream every episode of Married At First Sight for free on 9Now
FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest news from your favourite shows via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.
