Married at First Sight alum Paige Banks has accepted a marriage proposal from her boyfriend Justin Williams.
|
|
Paige and Justin welcomed a daughter, Nova Rae Banks-Williams, in February, and now they’re planning a wedding!
RELATED: ‘MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT’ COUPLES NOW: WHERE ARE THEY NOW? WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS RE-MARRIED? (PHOTOS)
Paige told People that Justin popped the question on April 13 during a romantic date on their one-year anniversary.
Justin apparently took the Married at First Sight alum to a Ferris wheel, where they took pictures together in memory of the place where they had first met.
“He just was reflecting on the year we had together and how much he loved me and wanted to continue doing life with me,” Paige shared.
“[He] said he got me a necklace for our one year, and once I opened it I saw the ring and was pleasantly surprised.”
Justin presented Paige with a teardrop-shaped diamond ring.
“It was a nice 360 moment,” Paige gushed. “[We had been] talking about marriage for quite some time.”
Justin’s marriage proposal therefore “solidified” their relationship “even more,” according to the reality TV star.
“4.13.24 marks the beginning of forever,” Paige told the magazine.
“Excited to embark on this journey of love and partnership with my best friend. From our first date at the Ferris wheel to a year later with my forever mate. Here’s to a lifetime of laughter, adventures, and endless love.”
Paige had announced in early September 2023 that she was expecting her first child with Justin, and then their baby was born on February 26.
“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,” Paige wrote on Instagram earlier this year, adding how her daughter was a “blessing” in her life.
Paige told People last year that she was “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 shared 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’s twelfth season.
Paige appeared on the Married at First Sight — Decision Day: Dish Boston special on Lifetime in May 2022 and explained how life was “good” after her divorce and she was excited about her book, Turning the Paige.
“There’s been a lot of great things happening. I’ve been dating as well,” Paige revealed at the time.
RELATED LINK: ‘THE BACHELOR’ FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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.
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.
RELATED LINK: ’90 DAY FIANCE’ COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS SPLIT? WHERE ARE THEY NOW? (PHOTOS)
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.
As for Mercedes’ pregnancy, she suffered a miscarriage in late October 2020, according to Chris, who publicly announced the news on social media in March 2021.
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.
RELATED: ‘MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT’ COUPLES NOW: WHERE ARE THEY NOW? WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS RE-MARRIED? (PHOTOS)
Interested in more Married at First Sight news? Join our Married at First Sight Facebook Group or click here to view our Married at First Sight newspage!
And click here for more updates on former Married at First Sight cast members and info on where they are now!
About The Author:
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.