Melbourne-based Ruthven and his fiance Melissa Rawson, who are parents to four month old twin boys, were matched together on the TV love experiment last year, only to find their relationship picked apart, criticised and Ruthven accused of having a secret girlfriend outside of the show.A year later the couple proudly claim to be the controversial show’s greatest success story – although they have distanced themselves from the production.“I put it down to us being the most successful couple because if you look at the lives of Cam and Jules, and Michael and Martha even, they had such an easy, cruisy ride on the show with no challenges from anyone apart from themselves, whereas we literally had 20 people plus three experts and producers going at us for three months and coming out to where we are now, I think, really, I would be more than confident saying we are biggest success story from the show,” Ruthven said.“A lot of people think we are not, but I think that we are because we fought tooth and nail to have a successful relationship, even though it may not have looked that way on screen, but off screen we did the best that we could and we managed to fall in love and we have been able to keep that love alive after the show and fall back into reality and get engaged and have twins,” Rawson said.“Life couldn’t be any better.” Despite emerging from their reality TV baptism of fire stronger than ever and they have no intention of going back to the show.“I am sure if there is another reunion to come around the corner she (Tara McWilliams the MAFS 2021 executive producer) will be the first one to call us, I am sure, but, look, I don’t think we will be answering that phone call.”Ruthven said only one of the show’s experts or crew to have reached out to them following the birth of their children was Mel Schilling.The couple don’t have an opinion on the behaviour of this year’s MAFS contestants.“We experienced a lot of hate and trauma from the show so we are sitting back and not judging anybody on this series because you just can’t judge a person on an hour’s worth of television a night,” Rawson said.Ruthven and Rawson took part in the Smitten Apples apple harvest last week at the Montague Orchards in Lysterfield.Both agreed the name was a perfect fit for their relationship – they are smitten with their sons, Tate and Levi, and each other.
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