Jamie OtisandDoug Hehner’slove story has been far from traditional, but they wouldn’t have it any other way.
On March 23, 2014, the pair said “I do” within minutes of meeting each other for the first time on the reality television seriesMarried at First Sight.On Saturday, they’re celebrating their five-year anniversary as a married couple.
“People laughed at us when they heard we were doing the show,” Otis tells PEOPLE exclusively in this week’s issue, on stands Friday. “Now here we are!”
“We’re very happy with where we are,” he adds. “We’re still growing as a couple.”
Though the pair was married at first sight, it wasn’t exactly love at first sight. On their wedding day back in 2014, Otis broke down and cried shortly after exchanging vows with Hehner.
“I had a panic attack and thought that I made the worst decision of my life,” Otis explains. “I instantaneously took one look at him and was like, ‘Nope, it’s not going to work out.’ There was no chemistry, I wasn’t really attracted, there was no butterflies.”
Jamie and Doug Otis
Over time, that all changed thanks to Otis' willingness to give Hehner a shot.
Doug Hehner and Jamie Otis.A&E
“There’s one quote that always resonates with me: ‘God knew my heart needed you,'” Otis says. “That quote really resonates with me because I was at such a point of pain and despair before I got pregnant with her. When she came into the world, it really healed my soul. I’m beyond thankful for her. She’s the absolute best thing that has happened to us.”
Jamie Otis/Instagram
According to her parents, Henley Grace is starting potty training at just 18 months old — of her own accord.
“We didn’t want to start potty training at 18 months old, but she’s been asking to go to the potty which is crazy,” Otis says. “So I’m like, ‘Okay, I guess we’re going to start potty training? Like what?'”
Hehner adds: “She knows her way around the kid’s YouTube, which is unbelievable. She’s starting to eat with a fork and a spoon, and she’s just awesome.”
Though Otis and Hehner — who recently launched their podcastHot Marriage, Cool Parents— are beyond thankful for their little girl, there has been some heartbreak throughout their efforts to expand their family. In the years since they’ve welcomed their daughter, Otis endured achemical pregnancy(a very early miscarriage) in September 2018 andanother miscarriage in Januarywhile trying to give Henley a little brother or sister.
Jeff Lipsky
“Jamie and I both want to have more kids, and we know now that it’s not a perfect process,” Hehner says. “I know, for me, it’s something that makes me guarded anytime there is a pregnancy announcement. As much as you want to always honor having the miscarriages, you want to be positive for the future. That future involves increasing and growing our family, and we’re doing everything that we can possibly to make that happen.”
Doug Hehner and Jamie Otis.Jamie Otis/Instagram
Otis says she “genuinely never thought” she “would have such a difficult time” trying to have another successful pregnancy.
Married at First Sightairs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
source: people.com
