Manager of a seaside bar,
Emanuel
is, at 31, the father of two children aged 6 and 8.
Considered 81% compatible by the experts of
"Married at first sight"
, Estelle Dossin and Gilbert Bou Jaoudé, he married in Gibraltar with
Léa
, a 28-year-old Castrese of Polynesian origin, mother of a little boy.
A meeting strong in emotions for these two single people very close to their family.
“Seeing his face, I immediately found him very charming
, Léa told us about her.
I wanted to give our relationship a chance and get to know him.
I saw that his family was united and that reassured me.
Emanuel's visible stress during the ceremony did not frighten her, quite the contrary.
“I was reassured to be faced with a man who dares to show his fragility.
He dares to assume his feelings and that was part of my expectations.
I didn't want someone who was a heartless block of stone.
»
Read alsoShooting, editing, consequences … Do the former candidates of “Married at first sight” have good memories of their experience?
THE
FIGARO.
- What made you decide to sign up for “Married at First Sight”?
Emmanuel.
-
I was at the dawn of my 32 years, fulfilled in my job and my family life, with my friends and my children.
But I realized that I was missing one thing, and that was love.
After seeing the casting announcement pass, I said to myself why not.
The woman of my life may not be in Perpignan but an hour or two from my house.
Once selected, I asked myself a lot of questions...
Which ones?
What am I really missing in my life to be happy?
How am I going to love my future wife?
How should she be to match me?
I imagined all those pleasant moments that I share with my family and my friends, to live them with the woman I love.
I questioned myself a lot.
It was my first experience on television, but after the wedding ceremony, I quickly managed to ignore the cameras.
What was your romantic past like before “Married at First Sight”?
In particular, I had a long relationship with the mother of my two children, we stayed together for almost seven years.
It took me a year and a half to two years before I got back together with someone because I needed to take stock with myself.
Then I stayed two years with another woman.
These are the two relationships that have mattered the most in my life.
What lessons have you learned from your breakup with the mother of your two children?
I learned from my mistakes, there were mistakes on both sides.
I questioned myself on many things, I realized that I was perhaps a little too demanding on certain points.
I wanted to improve myself.
At the time, I played rugby, it was an activity that took up a lot of my time, to the detriment of time spent with family.
"I was hoping I hadn't screwed up"
Emanuel, candidate for season 7 of "Married at first sight"
In
your portrait of "Married at first sight"
, you have the image of the muscular and tattooed handsome kid who works by the sea and who seems to be able to meet whoever he wants when he wants...
It's not as simple as that.
It's true that I've always had girls around me, but I wanted to meet someone who takes the time to get to know me inside before judging me physically.
This is what happened during this experiment.
How did you imagine this compatible woman before discovering her in Gibraltar?
During the interviews, I did not mention any physical criteria.
I never tried to imagine how Léa would look like.
My wishes were for her to be smiling, bubbly, sporty, close to her family and friends.
That we have common values.
How did you feel over the weeks of the experience?
Until the wedding day, I was quiet and relaxed.
I was looking forward to it, I was in a good state of mind.
And on D-Day, I looked in the mirror and realized it was the big day.
I found myself in a state of stress that I had never experienced in my entire life.
I experienced the emotions of two beautiful births, those of major events in rugby or even those of difficult moments in my life.
But I had never been in such a state.
Everyone told me I was unrecognizable.
How do you explain it?
I was overwhelmed with stress because I realized that I was really going to get married in the presence of my family.
My relatives had followed me in this experience, I hoped not to have done something stupid.
I was afraid that I wouldn't like her, afraid of having to say no, but also afraid that she wouldn't like me and that she would say no to me.
We wonder why we inflict this on ourselves, we doubt and we are in a hurry at the same time.
Everything was mixed up in my head.
"During the wedding, Léa's little brother was closed and cold"
Emanuel, candidate for season 7 of "Married at first sight"
What did you think of Léa when you discovered her during the wedding ceremony?
When I turn around and see him in the distance, I have a big light in my eyes.
First I see her beautiful dress, simple and elegant, then I see her beautiful smile.
I feel embarrassed, a little uncomfortable.
We looked into each other's eyes, we talked for about ten minutes and the current passed.
I was in love and my stress started to go away.
What did you say to yourself on the drive to the banquet venue?
We didn't stop talking to each other for an hour, about everything and nothing.
We talked for a long time about our children, it's something that brought us closer.
But also our work, our projects, our families... We found a lot in common.
It was so fluid that we forgot the presence of the driver and the production person in the car!
What is your state of mind at the time of the photo session and the banquet?
I was happy to find mine and to be able to discover the members of his family.
When I arrived at the ceremony, Léa's friends and grandmother made me feel at ease.
On the other hand, his little brother was closed and cold.
I thought it was his protective side that stood out.
As for his father, I felt good vibes during our handshake.
Read also "Compatibility percentages are invented, it's marketing": testimony from Benoit Michaut, candidate for season 1 of "Married at first sight"