‘Married At First Sight’ Season 5: Sheila On Getting Intimate With Nate, Not Giving Up On Marriage


Married At First Sight Season 5 star Sheila Downs is the first to admit that marrying a stranger is not easy. Although the connection she shared with husband Nate Duhon is undeniable on the wedding day, the 31-year-old school operations director revealed that it, unfortunately, did not last long.

In an interview with The Knot, Sheila Downs said that there was undeniable chemistry when she first met Nate Duhon at the altar. She, however, admitted that the excitement soon died down after she found out that his family did not fully support Nate’s decision to get married at first sight.

“I was taken aback by my disapproving mother-in-law and the profanity-riddled speech from the father of the groom,” Sheila said.

The Married At First Sight Season 5 star added that the honeymoon was not as enjoyable as she hoped. Sheila and Nate went to St. Croix for their honeymoon and got into several arguments. Sheila said that she wanted to get to know her husband during what was supposed to be a relaxing getaway, but it did not turn out the way she planned. The MAFS star added that the action-packed itinerary also took a toll on her.

In spite their differences, Sheila Downs and Nate Duhon was the first couple this season to consummate their marriage. During their first night at St. Croix, Sheila and Nate had sex, which she said helped deepen the bond between them. She shared that getting intimate with Nate and really getting to know the man the experts thought was her soul mate was the highlight of her trip.

“The first night that we were intimate was probably my favorite part of the entire honeymoon. We sat up for hours baring our souls and confiding some of our most intimate secrets. We talked about our childhoods, past relationships, and our greatest fears. In that moment, I got a chance to see the tender side of my husband,” she shared.

However, the second day of the honeymoon proved to be more challenging for Sheila and Nate. Married At First Sight Season 5 fans may recall that Sheila and Nate got into a huge fight over a ping-pong match. Sheila got upset that Nate was taking the game too seriously and when she pointed out that they were supposed to just have fun, Nate just got even more defensive. He explained that he’s not the type of person who takes losing lightly. After the game finally ended, Sheila refused to hold Nate’s hand, still clearly upset about her husband’s overly competitive nature.

“Feels like a sign of rejection. This is some disrespect. Don’t reject your husband,” Nate told the cameras.

Making matters worse, Sheila revealed later in the episode that Nate told her point black that he no longer wanted to stay married. The Married At First Sight Season 5 star said that hearing her husband say those words was “devastating.” According to Sheila, she was surprised that Nate was willing to give up on their marriage over a “dumb fight.”

“Outside of faith, my biggest prerequisite was to be matched with someone who was equally committed. I was all in, so when we got into a dumb fight and Nathan immediately said that he no longer wanted to be married, that sent me into a tailspin. It made me question everything, but more importantly, it made me pull back,” she shared.

Although she recognized that Nate could have just said those hurtful words out of anger, the MAFS Season 5 star pointed out that there should be some things that are off-limits. Sheila added that if Nate wanted to give up after a single fight, then they might not have a chance at all.

However, even though there were clearly a lot of struggles in their marriage, Sheila said that she’s not giving up on their relationship that easy.

“On that altar, I pledged myself to Nathan and to God. The weight of that vow pushed me to fight for my marriage, even when I felt like I had nothing more to give.”

Tell us! Do you think Sheila Downs and Nate Duhon will stay married after the social experiment is over? Sound off in the comments below.

Married At First Sight Season 5 airs Thursdays 9 p.m. ET on Lifetime.

[Featured Image by Sheila Downs/Instagram]

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