MAFS Leisha: What Really Matters
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She went on national television to marry a complete stranger. It didn’t work out the way she hoped. But Leisha Lightbody came out the other side knowing exactly who she is – and what she’s worth.
There aren’t many people who can tell you what a wedding feels like when you strip away years of planning, the careful choosing of a partner, even the basic certainty of knowing who you’ll be marrying. But Leisha can.
When she signed up for Channel 4’s Married at First Sight (MAFS), she went in as a self-described lover girl with high expectations and an open heart. "I went on there really genuine. I just wanted to meet someone," she explains.
What she got was something she didn’t expect, and something that changed her in ways she’s still unpacking. "I feel like this has done me good," she says. And she means it.
Cameras rolling
The MAFS wedding day started at 6am. Getting ready scenes, interviews, photos – a long, overwhelming build-up before Leisha finally met her husband-to-be Reece at around 5pm. At first, it didn’t feel like a real wedding. "There was too much going on and I hadn’t met my husband yet. It felt overwhelming."
But once they were finally alone, something shifted. They talked, had a few drinks and she met his family. "At that point it did feel like a proper wedding."
One of the first things that struck her about the experience was how present everyone was. No phones and no distractions. "It was the first time in a long time that we were disconnected from the real world. We could just organically build relationships, whether that was friendships or love.”
She chose her own dress; something she felt strongly about. MAFS provided £800 but she spent £1,500. "I thought to myself, maybe this would be the only time I get married so I want it to be really special." Décor-wise, she chose cream and green and when Reece arrived in a green suit (entirely independently) she couldn’t quite believe it. "
She wore the dress twice – at the wedding then again at the final vows. "The first time I met Reece was in that dress, when we were strangers. By the very last vows, I’d fallen in love with him. That was the whole point of the process for me."
The most surreal part of the whole experience wasn’t the ceremony itself. It was their honeymoon in Thailand. "I’d only just met Reece and we were flying off together," she says. "I’m a nervous flyer and I’d never been anywhere that far before."
They enjoyed private chefs, Thai boxing classes and experiences she describes as extraordinary. "Things you probably wouldn’t be able to afford in normal life. It was just the most surreal thing."
One piece of advice from before filming has stayed with her. A Scottish psychologist on the production team compared the MAFS process to an aeroplane. Filming is take-off, the show airing is mid-flight and when everything dies down, you’re in descent. “It was so true. When the show is out there it can be overwhelming. Then it does gradually dwindle."
After the whirlwind
It didn’t end the way Leisha had hoped. But the ending gave her something she didn’t know she needed.
"The biggest thing I discovered after MAFS was that I didn’t have a lot of self-worth. I’d forgotten what I bring to the table." She’d always been in relationships, or at least dating someone. Being alone had scared her.
But last summer, post-MAFS filming, she stopped dating for the first time. "I just spent a lot of time alone, which I’d never done before. And I really needed it." She pauses. "I thought: if that was my daughter, my sister, my niece, I’d be telling her to know her worth. I needed to hear that about myself."
What followed was a gradual but real shift. Confidence up and self-worth up. A community of women around her (some old friends, some strangers who’d messaged her through Instagram after the show) who have her back in a way she hadn’t anticipated. Now, as she connects with businesswomen in Glasgow, the focus is on empowerment – Leisha’s building something she describes as a space where women know they always have someone to turn to.
"Women get a really bad reputation sometimes," she says. "But I feel like all of us just want to feel part of something."
Her views on marriage haven’t changed. She still wants someone who’s her best friend and who shows up through the difficult times as much as the easy ones. Her parents have been together since they were 14 and that’s always been her reference point. "I won’t settle," she adds.
For the couples
From someone who has experienced a wedding with almost none of the usual build-up, Leisha’s advice to couples comes from an unusual place.
“Try to be as present as you can because you’ll never get that time back," she says. In a social media environment where you’re always two steps ahead, always thinking about the content, the shots, the reel, she urges couples to resist it. "On your wedding day, just be in the moment. It goes so fast and before you know it you wake up the next morning thinking, how did that even happen?"
Her other piece of advice is more straightforward – don’t turn into Bridezilla. "I think I did at one point and I wasn’t even properly planning it," she laughs. "I just got really het up about wanting everything a certain way."
And for anyone getting lost in the planning, the details or the pressure of making everything perfect? Leisha brings it back to the thing MAFS, in its own strange way, confirmed for her. "It’s easy to be with somebody when everything’s good. When you’re with someone through the difficult times and they’re still your biggest supporter, that’s when you know you’ve met the right person."
She’s still looking for her person. And she’s in no rush.
Leisha on the engagement period: "It’s about building trust and creating a life that’s your own but integrated. Keep your independence. Build a strong friendship. And don’t let the minor things get on top of you. You can’t control everything."
“I won’t settle.”