Married at First Sight alum Paige Banks has welcomed her first child into the world.
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"Baby Nova Rae arrived February 26, 2024 and we are so in love. #babyannouncement #answeredprayer," Paige captioned a photo of her newborn as well as a family picture featuring her boyfriend Justin on March 22.
Congratulatory messages poured in from members of the Married at First Sight family.
"Awwww huge congrats!!! Beautiful pics," Jessica Studer wrote.
Briana Myles commented, "Hiiiiiii Nova girl!!!"
Clara Berghaus wrote, "CONGRATSSSSS baby Nova is already so so loved."
And Married at First Sight expert Pastor Calvin Roberson gushed, "Congratulations!!! Beautiful baby. Your prayers have been manifested."
On March 26, Paige wished her daughter a "happy one month," and she posted an image on Instagram that read, "Having a baby is like having a bit of heaven right here on earth."
Paige's representative told People that Nova Rae was born at 6:46PM on February 26.
"Nova, what a blessing you are! The past 10 months have been a journey watching and feeling you grow in my tummy and we are so grateful you are finally here!" the couple told the magazine.
"Nova enjoys snuggles with Mom and Dad, listening to oldies music and long naps during the day to keep Mom and Dad up at night. She was named Nova, which means Bright Star, because she brings so much light to our lives and Rae because she makes our world go round just like a ray of sunshine."
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Paige revealed she was pregnant in early September 2023.
Paige took to Instagram at the time and wrote alongside photos of the happy couple holding up sonogram images, "1 Samuel 1:27 'For this child, we have prayed and the Lord has granted us what we have asked of Him.'"
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Paige told People that she was "shocked, happy and anxious all at the same time" when learning the news she was expecting.
She explained, "I've always wanted to be a mother and embrace all of the beautiful possibilities that come with raising and nurturing a child of my own, and finally I felt like God had answered the desires of my heart and gave me something that I had been yearning for."
Paige added last year that she's "super grateful" to have Justin by her side, whom she called her "person" and "safe space."
"[He's] my confidante, and most importantly, my best friend," Paige gushed of her partner. "Life isn't always easy, but doing it with you makes things so worthwhile and I can't wait to see you in action with our little love."
Paige had a tumultuous marriage to Chris Williams on Married at First Sight.
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"There's been a lot of great things happening. I've been dating as well," Paige revealed at the time.
Paige called herself "a hopeless romantic" and said she was still looking for The One and to get married again someday.
Married at First Sight's twelfth season, which began filming in Summer 2020 and aired in early 2021, featured Chris confessing on his wedding day that he wasn't attracted to Paige; however, he continued to have a sexual relationship with her.
Chris discovered at the beginning of his Las Vegas honeymoon with Paige that his ex-fiancee Mercedes Myrick -- whom he had been engaged to just three months before tying the knot with a stranger -- was six weeks pregnant.
Chris spent the next several weeks apparently agonizing over whether he should continue his marriage to Paige or reconcile with his ex so they could raise the baby together, and his confusion resulted in an on-again, off-again romance with Paige.
Chris was shown dumping Paige before their one-month anniversary and threatening divorce because he claimed she wasn't a good communicator, and then Chris complained to Pastor Cal that Paige doesn't have a pretty face and the experts could have matched him with a beautiful Atlanta queen.
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But Chris thought Paige was a good-hearted and caring woman, and so he never officially ended the romance during the two-month experiment. Instead, he and Paige attempted to bond for several weeks by doing activities together, such as playing basketball and eating dinner.
During one of those evenings, Paige felt disrespected when Chris informed her -- after the fact -- he had purchased Mercedes a brand new luxury vehicle.
The couple ultimately decided to get a divorce on Decision Day.
During the reunion special for Paige's season, she announced that she and Chris had briefly reconciled and tried to make things work after announcing their decision to divorce on "Decision Day." But the romance fizzled out quickly.
Paige said on the Married at First Sight -- Decision Day Dish: Boston special that her marriage "fortunately" ended.
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In light of Chris' unflattering edit on Married at First Sight, he claimed in June 2021 that Paige tried to "ruin" him by making him look like an "emotional abuser" on the show.
Chris also claimed Paige was a backstabber and had "lied" on the show about how much they allegedly slept together. He also said Paige had asked him to continue filming the series when he just wanted to quit.
Paige suggested on the Married at First Sight: Kick-Off Special for Season 13, which aired in July 2021, that she had doubts Mercedes was ever really pregnant and thought Chris may have used the alleged pregnancy as a way to get out of his arranged marriage.
Paige also admitted in 2021 how she felt Chris had manipulated her during their marriage.
"[When] you've been romantic in any type of capacity, sometimes it is kind of hard to discern, like, 'Okay is this real or are you just trying to play with me?'" Paige explained.
"It was a lot, but I mean, if you don't get love, you get a lesson. And I learned my biggest lesson here -- once you see those red flags, run! Run, run!"
At the time, Paige revealed she was "dating someone" new.
"He's a great guy... I am [happy]. I am. I realized that sometimes you've got to take fate into your own hands, especially with your dating life. So yeah, I'm in a great place," Paige said at the time.
It's unclear whether Justin was that guy or if Paige met him later on.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
