Married at First Sight star Gregory Okotie is opening up about marrying a stranger, Deonna McNeill, on the Lifetime reality series' ninth season.
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Season 9 of Married at First Sight was filmed in Charlotte, NC, and recently premiered on Lifetime.
Greg, a 32-year-old math learning center owner from Fort Washington, MD, was matched with Deonna, a 30-year-old operations manager currently living in the Charlotte area, by Married at First Sight experts Dr. Pepper Schwartz, Pastor Calvin Roberson, and newcomer Dr. Viviana Coles based on compatibility, goals, hobbies, religious views and more.
After meeting for the first time at their wedding ceremony, Greg and Deonna's life together was documented over the course of eight weeks -- including their honeymoon and moving in together.
During an exclusive interview with Reality TV World, Greg shined some light on his past and fears going into his arranged marriage. Below is the first part of what he had to say.
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Reality TV World: If you don't mind sharing, why did your engagement fail and how did you intend to make sure that wouldn't happen again in your marriage? What did you learn from that relationship that didn't work out that you could apply to your marriage?
Greg Okotie: It was a very toxic relationship and I was the cause of most of it in the beginning due to trust issues that I really did not know that I had. I had a lot of insecurities and I took it out on her and the relationship by not trusting what she said and her actions.
She was gorgeous and I was overwhelmed by the "why does she want to be with me?" and "she's going to leave me soon because I'm not good enough to be with her" thoughts, so I would always question her motives.
I started seeing a therapist on my own and worked on my insecurities. I've grown and learned so much from that chapter in my life -- mainly my self-worth.
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Knowing that I'm not the "ugly duckling" I thought I was and, in the next relationship, being more intentional with my communication. I had to come to realize that if my partner decides to cheat, it will not be because I didn't do enough, but because of her own doing.
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Reality TV World: You were shown telling the guys on the Married at First Sight premiere you didn't want to have sex on your wedding night. Would you have been disappointed in your wife if she felt otherwise? And how did you want to approach physical intimacy in your marriage, like did you want to become friends first and take things slow?
Greg Okotie: Great question. I wouldn't have been fully disappointed if Deonna found me soooooo irresistible that she wanted to have sex on the wedding night lol... but probably slightly.
I wanted us to take our time with physical intimacy, I didn't want it to cloud our judgement and initial feelings about one another. Build the friendship and emotional foundation first and then add sex to the equation later.
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Reality TV World: What were your fears when beginning the process, other than the obvious prospect of getting divorced? Were you worried your partner may just be going on the show for attention or fame?
Greg Okotie: I was definitely worried that my potential partner may go through this process for the wrong reasons. Other fears were not liking/being attracted to my match and our families not getting along.
Be sure to check back with Reality TV World soon for more exclusive interviews with Married at First Sight Season 9 cast members, and CHECK HERE to read our other already published interviews!
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