Amongst the drama and shock revelations, participants Carina Mirabile and Paul Antoine have become this season’s titular love story.

Despite a less-than-ideal first meeting, they seem to have found a genuine connection.

That said, it hasn’t been smooth sailing.

Their relationship was affected by an incident where Paul displayed violent behaviour, punching a door after becoming upset over a comment Carina made. This incident led to a police investigation, but Carina chose to stay in the experiment with him.

More recently, the couple clashed over Paul sharing with fellow bride, Awhina Rutene, something Carina had said privately about Awhina’s twin sister.

The couple’s romance has been complicated from day one. During the season’s first episode, Carina walked down the aisle excited to meet her new husband for the first time. But she was faced with the ultimate shock… She had already met him before.

Though both Carina and Paul played it cool during the actual wedding ceremony, they immediately approached the MAFS producers later to reveal they had actually gone on a date eight months earlier.

“Is there another option? I know him,” Carina was heard saying. “He ghosted me.”

Yikes.

Shortly after, Paul approached Carina and apologised for ‘ghosting’ her previously and expressed his intention to pursue this relationship now.

“When you and I met, I wasn’t ready to let someone in,” Paul explained. “I should’ve obviously communicated that a bit better to you… That’s what I’d like to apologise for.

“I feel like this is the universe giving us a second chance.”

Carina sat down with Mamamia at the start of the season and opened up about her experience on the show and may have given some hints into what we can expect to see when it comes to her and Paul.

Reflecting on the moment she first saw Paul and realised she already knew him, Carina admitted to feeling shocked at first. However, she also recognised how beautiful everything was, which made her feel comfortable moving forward.

“It was kind of written all over my face that I was in absolute shock,” she told Mamamia. “I’ve never properly watched the show before, so I didn’t know what to do, and I was like, ‘I’m just gonna ride the wave and honestly, everything was so beautiful.’”

“My family was there, the venue was absolutely stunning, you know, all his side were there as well,” she added.

Are Carina and Paul still together?

While we don’t have any concrete answers to this burning question, signs look promising!

In a February interview with Chattr, Carina shared a few tidbits about her life that made it sound like she and Paul are still very much together.

As Carina spoke about keeping out of the MAFS drama, she said, “I’m just enjoying life with Paul and all the rest of the cast that are my friends.”

When asked about her Valentine’s Day plans, she confirmed that “Paul’s still in the mines, he’s actually finishing off his last swing and he’s got eight days to go now… so I’m in Melbourne with the girls, and we’re doing a girls’ Valentine’s Day tomorrow.”

On top of these comments, Carina spoke very highly of Paul in a conversation with Mamamia last month.

Are Carina and Paul still together? Image: Nine. 

When asked about the public’s response to Paul’s apology at their wedding — with some calling it fake — one thing Carina wanted to make clear was that she did not agree in the slightest with the criticism.

“I completely disagree with that because I think he has a lot of balls coming up to my parents straight away at the reception and really showing his true colours of being authentic, being real, being a gentleman, and those are such strong values that I want in a guy,” Carina said to Mamamia.

“I honestly thought it was very positive and inspiring, and it made me admire him even more.”

“He did go up and speak to my parents because my parents mean everything to me, and it’s like a bit of a tick of approval, really,” she added.

So it seems, all is well between the two when it comes to the initial ‘ghosting’ fiasco. So, to the haters… she’s let it go. So should you.

Carina spoke highly of her experience with Paul on the show. Image: Nine. 

When asked about her experience on MAFS, Carina had nothing but good things to say about the show and her on-screen husband, claiming that the experts did well in matching her with someone who reflected what she wanted.

“I had the best experience, I was so fortunate that the experts listened to what I wanted in a person, with my family, upbringing, my morals and my values, and obviously the feature aspect,” she said. “As well, Paul is a very handsome person, so I definitely don’t have any regrets.”

“It was a once in a lifetime experience,” she explained.

Given the couple has been spotted by paparazzi attending a few commitment ceremonies, and considering Carina’s high praises for Paul, we’re hoping this means a happy ending for these two love birds.

Are they still together? Only time will tell. Stay tuned.

This article was originally published on February 6, 2025 and has since been updated with new information.

Feature Image: Instagram/paul___antoine / Instagram/carinamirabile.