for Married at first sightThe past year has been nothing short of life-changing for Brooke Crompton.
After a hectic stint MAFSthe 27-year-old Gold Coast-based model emerged with something far more lasting than reality TV fame: rekindled love, a Christmas Day engagement, and the birth of a baby.
“Honestly, I feel like everything fell into place,” Brooke tells us exclusively women’s day.
“This is all I’ve ever wanted: to be with a partner who supports me and loves me.”
return to her
Brooke reunited with her ex-partner Harry, 28, about two weeks after they split. MAFS The experiment was carried out in August last year when her disastrous on-screen marriage to Chris Nield collapsed in the second week due to an off-screen “incident”.
“Yeah, I crawled back,” admitted Harry, who works as a builder on the Gold Coast. “I missed her a little too much.”
“But he broke up with me and I had to go through a lot of trouble,” Brooke laughs. “But no, actually we were both like, ‘Okay, if it didn’t work then, what are we going to do to make it work now?'” she says. “But a few weeks later Harry invited me to the Maldives for a surfing trip with family friends and that cemented my feelings.
“We had the most beautiful time and it’s even better than ever.”
While Brooke opens up; MAFS Regarding her experience with a cheating ex-lover, she was quick to reiterate that timing and poor communication were the only reasons behind her first breakup with Harry, which happened three months before filming began last year.
“There was no infidelity. Harry never did it. It wasn’t a toxic ending or anything. He was just very busy with work,” Brooke says.
“We didn’t communicate very well either,” Harry says. “I guess I just didn’t prioritize love.”
Afraid of hurting Harry’s feelings, Brooke was transparent about appearing on the show, and Harry only wanted what was best for her.
“I didn’t necessarily want her to be on the show, but I didn’t want her to stop,” he says.
Contrary to some misinformation, Brooke claims she never had any contact with Harry during the experiment, but she did have memories of him during her time on the show.
“I think I realized what a wonderful person Harry is. He’s so different from the man I married.” MAFS” says Brooke.
“He never shames women or says anything bad about anyone. He sees the beauty in everyone. In fact, I’ve never been with someone who says so much bad about women. So from the beginning, I thought, ‘This is not the person for me.'” It was like he was paired with this person for the TV ratings.
“But I can’t regret it, because I truly believe that if we hadn’t left then, Harry and I would never have gotten back together.”
Sudden pregnancy…
It was around November, as the couple were settling into their new life together, that Brooke had a vivid dream that would ultimately change their lives forever.
“I had a dream that I was pregnant,” Brooke says. “I woke up and thought, ‘This isn’t right,’ but then I took a pregnancy test and…it was positive!” Incredibly, the couple continued with several more tests, all with the same result.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Brooke said, adding that the news felt even more surreal considering “two different psychics told me we were going to have a baby together.”
“I didn’t believe it then… but I definitely do now,” Harry added. “I always knew she would be the mother of my children, but I didn’t know when,” he smiled.
Just when Brooke thought she couldn’t bring herself any other surprises this year, Harry had one more in store for her.
…And the ring too!
Harry proposed on Christmas Day while they were vacationing in Aspen, Colorado.
“I’ve been planning this for quite some time. I started planning it as soon as I got back from the Maldives,” he reveals.
“I really didn’t have any expectations,” Brooke added. “I thought she might propose once we had kids.” Instead, Harry blindfolded her and took her out for a walk. “My mascara ran down my face,” Brooke laughs. “It was very beautiful. It was very special. He hid it well.”
For Brooke, the proposal was the perfect moment to express how far they had come. “It’s been such a great year. Getting back together, getting pregnant, everything,” she says. “I wasn’t expecting an engagement either. But it was perfect.”
What’s next for Brooke?
They are currently living together and are preparing to welcome their first child in the middle of this year. The couple’s focus is clearly not on family, but firmly on their growing family, although Brooke is hoping for a “tribe” first child. MAFS…or Chris Nield.
“We were only on the show for two weeks and we didn’t even kiss!” Brooke laughed, adding that Harry had no interest in being on Australia’s biggest reality show. “I haven’t watched a single episode,” Harry admits. “I don’t think it’s very realistic, to be honest.”
“I don’t have time for drama. I’ve got bigger fish to fry,” Brooke added.
“We have our whole lives ahead of us now. We’re engaged and have Baba on the way. We’ve got everything we’ve always wanted!”
You can watch MAFS on nine or 9 now.
Pick up a copy of Woman’s Day magazine to see all the amazing photos from our exclusive shoot. on the stand Monday.