Married at First Sight star Paige Banks says her marriage to Chris Williams may have ended quickly if it wasn't for her relationship with Jesus and strong faith.
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Chris and Paige's wedding got off to a very rough start. Chris lamented to production about how he lacked an attraction to his wife, but Paige didn't find out something was missing for her husband until after she already had sex with him twice.
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A defeated and confused Paige nearly checked out of her relationship at that point, but she chose to persevere -- only to discover at the beginning of her honeymoon in Las Vegas that Chris' ex-fiancee, Mercedes, was about six weeks pregnant.
On the February 17 episode of Married at First Sight: Unfiltered, Paige watched back a Season 12 clip of her reaction to the news Chris' ex-fiancee was expecting a child.
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"Paige, at this point, what is keeping you in your marriage?" asked Unfiltered host Jamie Otis, who appeared on Season 1 of Married at First Sight and is still happily married.
"Jesus, honestly. You know?" Paige replied with a big anxious smile.
"This is a lot of information, a lot of stress. My anxiety is [through] the roof right now, and I'm trying not to be checked out because I am committed. This is what I signed up for -- but not all of what I signed up for."
Paige continued, "So I'm trying to show a lot of favor and grace because we all are not perfect and I'm just trying to be as supportive as I know how to be at this point."
Married at First Sight viewers have been appalled by Chris' behavior and angry at the show's experts for matching him with Paige, who clearly felt devalued and disrespected in her marriage.
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Dr. Pepper Schwartz even recently admitted she's been offended by Chris' behavior and casting him was a "bad call," and Pastor Calvin Roberson said he was "flabbergasted" to find out Chris' ex had a baby on the way.
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Jamie therefore commended Paige on her relationship efforts and noted on Unfiltered, "You show far more grace than I ever could have. Like, my hat goes off to you."
Chris told Paige it had been six weeks since he last interacted with his ex, whom he had been engaged to just three months before marrying a stranger in Summer 2020 on the show.
During a conversation with fellow Married at First Sight groom Vincent Morales in a recent Season 12 episode, Chris clarified of his ex-fiancee, "We've been broken up since May 2020, but that wasn't the last time we had sex, for sure."
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Chris said Mercedes had known about her pregnancy "for a few weeks" but didn't tell him right away.
During a nice dinner out in Las Vegas with Paige, Chris revealed that he had been intimate with his ex-fiancee when they reunited for her father's funeral arrangements -- even though they were broken up and not on good terms at the time.
Paige admitted if that day was "Decision Day," she would walk away from her marriage, but Chris promised his wife that he was "in it for the long haul" and his attraction to her had grown since their first meeting.
Paige asked Chris if he still had strong feelings for his ex and if he thought there was a possibility of them getting back together.
"Right now, it doesn't matter if she's pregnant or not. You are my wife and nobody comes before you, so it doesn't matter what is going on with that. All that matters is the woman I made a vow to," Chris insisted.
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Chris suggested to Paige they get to know each other on a deeper level, and Paige said she liked that idea because "God doesn't give you anything that you can't handle."
It appeared the couple had turned over a new leaf and were ready to take things on as a team, but Chris later had an emotional breakdown because neither Paige or himself seemed happy like the other four Married at First Sight couples appeared to be.
"I feel like I'm stuck in this and I'm crying because I've got a baby on the way. There's a lot going through my mind," Chris vented to the cameras.
Chris later had heated arguments with Virginia Coombs and her husband Erik Lake over how he should treat Paige, and Chris ended up admitting to Paige that he and his ex had briefly discussed reconciling so they could co-parent their child in the same home.
Chris confessed to Paige that he still loved his ex-fiancee but preferred to work things out with her since they were legally and spiritually married.
Chris told Paige that he could envision them lasting beyond seven weeks, and Paige subsequently shared with the cameras how she believed in fighting for love.
"I believe in the possibility of love... and I pray that Chris is my person for the rest of my life. I believe in us," Paige said. "This could potentially be a beautiful story for the both of us."
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