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WEDDING WOES
IT seemed like the fairytale story when millionaire Ben, 36, tied the knot with unlucky-in-love Stephanie, 32, on Married At First Sight.
Despite being scientifically matched, viewers have since accused Ben of using Stephanie for fame and predict they will divorce within months, but what can their body language reveal?
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Body language analyst Judi James says cracks have already started to appear for the new couple, and their relationship appears to be rocky.
Although Ben and Steph said on the season finale that they’d fallen in love and wanted to stay married, some viewers slammed him as “fake" - something Judi agreed with.
Analysing footage of the couple from the show, Judi revealed to the Sun Online: “As Ben laid back splayed and topless in bed, Steph smoothed his fringe like a mum with a small kid and sat in her dressing gown with her arm around his shoulders while he just stared at the screen.
“His genuine and very animated eye contact and gesticulation was with the camera and the interviewer and in the car together he even developed the Ricky Gervais in the Office technique of staring straight into camera and mugging while Steph spoke in the background.
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“These high performer traits made it look as though the only thing the pair did have in common was love: Steph's love for Ben and Ben's love for himself.
“He talks to camera confidently and happily, using exaggerated hand gestures at shoulder height to register a love of the attention.”
She said that Ben doesn’t seem to be fully committed to the process like his wife is.
Judi explained: “To me Ben looks like a guy who stumbled into the wrong reality show.
“With his love of playing straight to camera, showing off his inked pecs in small vests and piling off to sun-kissed locations at every opportunity he looks much more 'Love Island' than 'Love at First Sight'.”
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She turned her attention to Stephanie and watched how she interacted with her new husband.
Judi revealed: “While 'smothering' Stephanie instigated nearly all the touch rituals, sitting with her arm around his shoulder and leaning in during the last 'romantic' scene on the sofa, Ben kept his eyes to camera and crossed his legs in a way to provide a high barrier between himself and his wife.
“Stephanie might have been role-playing 'wife' a bit too quickly but it was clear from the start that while she used multiple 'read and assess' signals like face-checking and eye contact as she spoke to Ben in what would have been a bid to get to know him and establish a relationship as soon as possible, his eye contact with her was minimal.”
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These warning bells going off for the body language professional have led to her becoming concerned about Stephanie in the relationship.
Judi explained: “It's clearly great that the couple are giving their marriage a go as the scenes between the other pair were desperately sad, but I'd worry that Steph is still trying too hard to turn their relationship into something real and lasting.
“She was very tuned into the way Ben was pushing her away physically at the start of their mini-marriage but despite being ordered into her own room on the 'make or break' holiday and despite the way Ben was still backing away during their last scenes she appears obliviously happy with the way things are going.
More on Married At First Sight
“The way she went off to a cafe to discuss her relationship with a friend while Ben went off to the gym to discuss it while working out said a lot about the pair's opposite characters though.
“Will they exist once the cameras are turned off? I would worry for Steph that they might not.”
At the end of the episode it was revealed that fellow participants Harriet and Richard had decided to divorce.
Richard was devastated, but he was soon swamped with offers of dates from single viewers.
Ben and Stephanie reveal they still don't have each other's phone numbers on Married at First Sight
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