12 Mar 2026

The personal reason Paul Liba said “I do” on Channel 4’s Married at First Sight UK

When Paul Liba said “I do” on Channel 4’s Married at First Sight UK in 2023, there was a very personal and private reason behind his decision to ‘marry’ a stranger on TV.

Paul Liba with his mum and brother

“When my mum was diagnosed with leukaemia a few years before, she said all she wanted to do was live to see me and my brother and sister married with our own families. Thankfully she got through it and is still with us, but I of course I couldn’t 100 per cent guarantee to make her wish come true – unless I did it this way!”

Paul was just 23 and in his final year studying sports science and coaching at Bournemouth University in 2019 when mum Virginie (pro: Ver-jen-ee) became ill.

“We’d just moved to Chesham in Buckinghamshire and she started to say she felt really tired,” said Paul. “Her stomach and leg were hurting as well. She was working as a kitchen assistant and she brushed it off as being overtired with sorting the house out. Looking back now it was far worse than she let on, and she was putting on a brave face.

“In the October I came home for the weekend and found out she’d been sleeping on the sofa. She said it was too painful to lie on the mattress in her bed. She was experiencing night sweats, a swollen leg, constant coughs, swollen gums, felt constantly cold, and had lost weight. She said she had no appetite and always felt full. She also had a massive painful swelling on the left side of her body.

“The pain eventually led to her going to the GP. She was originally told it was an allergy to the weather causing the cough, and the swollen leg was due to the nature of her job where she was always on her feet. The GP said night sweats and feeling cold was early menopause. They gave her paracetamol for the swollen gums and said if it continued, to go to the dentist. She went to the dentist, and they cleaned her mouth and gave her disinfectant mouthwash.”

Paul with his mum Virginie and his dad

Virginie returned to the GP again as the pain on the side of her body was not subsiding. She was prescribed antibiotics for three days and told to book a blood test, which she didn’t as there were no appointments available and she was busy with work. The pain disappeared after the three-day treatment of antibiotics.

“But two weeks later it came back, it was worse than before. She went to the GP, booked the blood test and asked for strong painkillers. The GP prescribed her paracetamol again but booked an emergency scan.

“She went home but went back to the GP as the pain had gotten to the point she was struggling to walk or move. She had not let anyone in the family how much pain and suffering she was going through at the time. She saw a different GP who asked her to go through all her issues and then contacted the Stoke Mandeville Hospital for advice. The hospital asked her to be sent straight there.”

Once in hospital Virginie was immediately put on a drip and stronger painkillers. She was given a blood test and a bone marrow biopsy.

“I was in the library at university working on my dissertation when my sister Agnes rang me in hysterics and told me they’d diagnosed her with leukaemia. My mum was in the background trying to calm my sister, and Covid lockdown had just kicked in again so I knew I couldn’t go home to be with them. It was awful.”

Doctors initially told Virginie she may need a bone marrow transplant, and that her three children would be the most likely donors.

“But she didn’t want that. She was really stressed about that bit of it – she said she didn’t want to put her kids through that. I remember saying ‘Mum, we’d all be happy to do it, please don’t worry’.”

Paul with his family

The results from the biopsy and blood test showed Virginie had chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). CML is a form of leukaemia characterised by the uncontrolled growth of myeloid cells in the bone marrow, with subsequent accumulation of these cells in the blood. CML is typically a slow-progressing (chronic) condition. With modern treatments, five-year survival rates are now close to 82%; however, the disease remains life-altering. Treatment can be long-term and gruelling, often involving therapies such as targeted treatments, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy, all of which can carry be physically and mentally challenging for patients.

“My Mum said she was in shock and disbelief that this was happening to her. She remembers a lot of people and doctors in the room with her when she found out the news. She remembers getting very emotional. She asked if leukaemia is heredity and if we could get it. She said once she asked that, it hit home that this was real and she started crying. Even at this time, she put us all first in her mind. She asked the doctors how long she had left to live. They said that people with CML can live full lives if they get the right treatment, and that they would be with her through it step by step.

“The doctors had given her a few days to decide what options to pick regarding treatment. They wanted her to stay at the hospital, but she refused and went home. When she went back she took my auntie Josephine and my sister Agnes with her, and told the doctors she would go through the route of taking medicine, the route they recommended.”

Virginie was told that her leukaemia meant she had no immune system and could die from any infection. Because of this, Paul was told to stay at university during Christmas as Covid was becoming a major problem in the UK. He tried to focus on writing his dissertation.

“My head was scrambled. I remember going to my friends and saying, ‘guys I need you all to be there for me, this is big’. I kept ringing home to see how mum was doing, that was all I could do. I just felt useless.

“I didn’t see my family for months, it was so hard. She was doing much better by the time I was allowed back. But she was still taking things slowly and had some strange side effects like her nails going black, always tired, loss of breath, tight chest, bleeding gums, rashes and a constant feeling of nausea. She also lost her hair, and it never fully came back. But she said she knew the treatment was long-term making her better and ‘it is what it is’. She’s a very strong person but I have so much respect for my sister Agnes who went through it all with her and did so much.

Paul’s graduation with his family

“Luckily her work was great and gave her time off paid. She had been an active busy person who liked going for runs and it was so hard for her to reduce to doing nothing. My sister and Dad took her to hospital for monthly checks including an ECG for her heart to make sure the drugs she was taking weren’t causing side effects. As she got better she’d also take herself there on her own for appointments. She wasn’t supposed to but she’s very stubborn and there was no arguing with her!

“By July 2020 there were significant improvements in Mum’s health. I was living back at home then after university finished. It felt amazing to hear she was better. But she was just so cool about it. They told her and she was just like ‘oh that’s good’ and we were like ‘what?! Mum this is brilliant!’. She tries to play it tough a bit. But sometimes she did warn us that it could come back even if she’d beaten it the first time. She wanted us to be prepared but it was hard to hear.

“She had mentioned when she was diagnosed all she wanted to do was live to see us three married and with families of our own. So when the opportunity came up to do MAFS, I didn’t hesitate – it was the best way I could guarantee her that wedding! Her illness also made me realise that life is short and you’ve just got to go for it when opportunities come along. Mum is quite private and didn’t want it mentioned on the show. She didn’t want people feeling sorry for her. She said to me ‘yes I always hoped I’d see you get married but I thought I’d meet her first!’.”

Paul with his wife Tasha on MAFS

Paul’s easy-going upbeat nature and strong relationship with bride Tasha made him a hit on the show.

“My dad Joseph took a bit longer to come round to the whole idea, but Mum was very proud of me. She said to me ‘you think you know your kids but you don’t know what they’re like or what they get up to when you’re not around – but you’re exactly the same!’.”

Although Paul’s relationship with Tasha didn’t work out long term, his experience on the show opened new doors for him, although his feet remain firmly on the ground.

“I sell window film now! Big logos and company stuff. I didn’t go back to accounting which I was doing before, but I’ve also done a couple more reality TV shows since, both of which mum has found very amusing. Firstly, there was Dogs Behaving Badly with my Bantam Bulldog Jasmine. Mum didn’t like dogs at all and was horrified when I first got her, but now she gives her treats and loves her. Jasmine had a bad problem chasing other animals – pets and wildlife – and I was a bit sceptical about the show, but Graham did sort out her right out. She’s now the biggest star in our household, not me! Then there was Come Dine with Me which mum found hilarious as I’m such a terrible cook, and as predicted it went really badly. Every time I go on something like that she just laughs and says, ‘why do they want you on there!’.”

Virginie said: “I’m good, very good now. I feel like the luckiest women in the world. Some people don’t get a second chance in life, don’t get a chance to see their children grow up or achieve their dreams.

Paul on Come dine with me

“I’m so grateful to the new GP who referred me to the specialist at the hospital. I had seen many doctors before who had not taken the time or listened to the symptoms I was suffering from. I don’t not know if I would be here if he didn’t go above and beyond for my health.”

Virginie’s recovery has continued well with some adjustments to drug treatments to get on top of side effects. Meanwhile Paul has moved into his own home nearby in Chesham with his girlfriend Sophie.

“Mum is back at work and now after all these years is considering going back to running with me, which we always enjoyed doing together,” said Paul.

Paul’s mum and Jazmine

“The whole thing changed my outlook on life. It all happened around the same time a friend at university passed away in an accident. It was a lot at the time. I realised tomorrow is not guaranteed. It was his death that got me back to boxing, as he’d originally got me into it, and then after mum was ill, I did a fundraiser for cancer research. I trained hard and won the fight. Again, mum summarised it in her usual way: ‘Why are you doing that, I don’t want to watch you get hit in the head !’. I said to her I felt so useless when she was ill and even if I raised a couple of pounds it would help someone else going through what we did.

“Life is precious and you’ve got to give things a go. Mum is the rock in our family, and her illness meant we had to appreciate that more and also step up and take more responsibility. We’re lucky she’s still with us – I know not everyone is this lucky. But I hope that sharing our story will inspire others to keep the faith that they can get through their leukaemia.”

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Paul Liba (@libapaul96) • Instagram photos and videos

MAFS UK Does Come Dine with Me – Series 1: Episode 4 | Channel 4