Ashley Petta and Anthony D’Amico are proving Lifetime’s Married at First Sight experiment can work.
More than eight years after meeting each other for the first time at the wedding altar, the couple remains happily married and grateful to be part of the unique reality show.
“I think I knew right after I met him that it was gonna work,” Ashley exclusively told Us Weekly before Season 18 of Married at First Sight kicks off on Tuesday, October 15. “We just clicked.”
Anthony added, “It was kind of crazy. We were clicking really well. Our families were clicking really well. I said to myself, ‘Holy cow. Is this actually happening like this?’”
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Ashley and Anthony are one of 11 couples who remain married after getting hitched on Lifetime’s long-running show. The social experiment features three to five couples, paired up by relationship experts, who agree to marry when they first meet.
During season 5, Ashley and Anthony agreed to document their first weeks as newlyweds for Lifetime.
Cameras picked up on the pair’s opposite communication styles. It’s a difference the duo continue to navigate today.
“Ashley’s communication style is that she needs to know right now,” Anthony told Us with a laugh. “I’m more of a, ‘I’ll think on this for a minute. I have to sleep on this.’ I find clarity sometimes.”
It’s a relatable hurdle the couple chooses to work on instead of give up on. When watching recent seasons of Married at First Sight, both Ashley and Anthony fear many couples quit marriage too easily. Instead of breaking up on the show’s season finale — better known as Decision Day — the pair advises contestants to keep fighting.
“They see one hurdle and it stops their process,” Anthony shared. “That’s what it seems like. Whether it’s a look or you live in a basement or whatever it is. But you guys were matched for a reason. Get to those points. Yes, you may have a red flag or two about somebody, but at least play it out and see how it actually is.”
Since saying goodbye to the cameras, Ashley and Anthony have welcomed two daughters: Mila Rose, 5, and Vaeda Marie, 3. The pair try to sneak in a kids-free date night with trips to dinner or a country bar.
At the same time, they savor creating family memories like a Disney Cruise or an afternoon at a MLB game.
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“Parenthood definitely added an additional level of craziness, but definitely another level of connecting,” Anthony said. “I look at Ashley and go, ‘Look what we created.’”
Ashley added, “Anthony’s a great dad. Both of the girls are daddy’s girls. They love him so much. I think that’s one thing that I knew right away when I met Anthony is I knew he was going to be an amazing father.”
Married at First Sight (produced by Kinetic Content) season 18 premieres on Lifetime Tuesday, October 15, at 8 p.m. ET.
