MAFS Sarah: After the Whirlwind
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She married a stranger on national television. Now, a year on, Sarah Gillanders is busier than ever – and more herself than she’s ever been.
There’s a particular kind of aftermath that comes with doing something as publicly unusual as Married at First Sight (MAFS). The show ends, the cameras go away and real life (with all its ordinariness and possibility) comes back into focus.
For Sarah, that re-entry has been anything but quiet. "I’ve been super busy," she says, and she means it. Her full-time role as a recruitment consultant continues alongside a growing portfolio of brand work. She’s an ambassador for Malmaison hotels and has been working with local businesses and brands across Scotland, attending events and – as she puts it simply – just enjoying life.
It’s a version of post-MAFS existence that looks different from what most people might expect. Less drama, more forward motion.
Recognition and reality
She still gets recognised. Not constantly, but enough. "I love meeting people out and about," Sarah smiles. The reaction when people make the connection is usually the same. "They’re pretty shocked when they realise what I did on national television."
There’s something she clearly enjoys about that moment; the slight disbelief on someone’s face and the questions that follow. After months of keeping the MAFS experience relatively contained, being able to talk about it freely has its own relief.
What’s changed most visibly since the show aired is the work that’s come her way. Content creation, brand collaborations, events – things that feel like natural extensions of who she already was, rather than a reinvention. "I’m very grateful for the opportunities. Working with fantastic brands and local businesses has been something I’m really proud of."
What’s shifted
The bigger change, though, is internal. "I definitely feel completely different since MAFS," Sarah admits. "I’ve done a lot of healing after filming and airing, and I’ve definitely learnt a lot about myself."
The confidence piece is the one she comes back to most. It shows up in the content she’s making, the people she’s meeting and the rooms she’s walking into with her shoulders back. "It’s taken time since airing but I feel more confident than ever."
That’s not a small thing for someone who, by her own admission in her first YSW feature, went into MAFS hoping it would be the moment everything clicked into place.
The show has also given her something harder to quantify: a clearer sense of what she wants. "I’ve learnt not to take life too seriously, try not to overthink everything and just enjoy yourself," she says. "I definitely want to meet the right person and settle down. Whenever that happens, I’ll be ready."
Looking after herself
Being briefly public-facing brings its own pressures and Sarah has been thoughtful about how she manages them. "I’ve learnt to be kind to myself. I’m very lucky to have a great support network around me and I can lean on them whenever I need to."
The adjustment post-show wasn’t something she’d mapped out in advance. "I just take every day as it comes – and still do." The support network she mentions isn’t decorative; it’s the thing that has really made the difference.
What surprised her most about life after the show? "The amount I’ve been recognised – and still am." She says it with a smile rather than overwhelm. "I love speaking and meeting new people." For someone who went on television partly because she wanted connection and love in her life, the community that’s grown around her since has clearly meant something.
What comes next
Ask Sarah about her plans and the answer is characteristically straightforward. "Just to keep going, keep working, keep busy, and continue to work with amazing brands and meet fabulous new people." There’s no elaborate five-year plan, no reinvention in the works. Just someone getting on with it; enjoying what’s come her way, staying open to what’s next.
If she could go back and tell herself one thing before signing up for MAFS? "Don’t be so hard on yourself. And enjoy it more."
Good advice for most of us, as it turns out.
“Don’t do it!”
