My Mum Your Dad: Why did Paul and Natalie split?

16 September 2024, 15:38

By Alice Dear

Paul and Natalie finished series one of My Mum, Your Dad as a couple, however, shortly after the show finished airing the pair confirmed they had split - but what happened?

My Mum Your Dad's Paul and Natalie were one of the first couples to make a connection in the Surrey countryside retreat during series one of Davina McCall's hit dating show, and even made it to the final episode hand-in-hand.

Their romance was not meant to be, however, as they announced shortly after the series finished airing in 2023 that they were no longer together and had in fact split shortly after filming had ended.

Now, still single Paul has returned to the My Mum, Your Dad house for series two with hopes of being luckier in love a second time around, making his entrance in the fourth episode of the second series.

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With his return to the show sure to raise questions about his relationship with Natalie, and the reason for their split, here's everything we know about why their romance did not last.

Why did Paul and Natalie split?

My Mum, Your Dad viewers were confident last year that Paul and Natalie would go the distance after they left the retreat as a couple. This made it even more of a shock when, following the show's final episode airing, the pair confirmed they had split.

Natalie wrote on her social media at the time: "It has been a very bitter sweet week for me. We ended in August so I have had some time to process things before the show aired. It was weird watching it back and seeing the hope and excitement that I had definitely has brought up feelings again.

"I also have some stuff going on outside of this experience so I am not ignoring your messages I will respond I just need a few days to decompress and I will catch up with you soon."

• Read more: Which My Mum Your Dad couples are still together and who has split?

She followed up with a video on her Instagram story where she explained that while she has had moments of wondering if she did the right thing appearing on the show, she is happy she took part. Speaking about her relationship with Paul, Natalie said: "I am gutted it didn't work out, I think it was evident to see the hope that was on my face."

My Mum Your Dad’s Natalie reveals split from Paul

Following this, a source told The Sun last year: "As is so often the case with these dating shows, it's easy for a connection to flourish while in the bubble of filming - there's no distractions, no real life concerns and you're united in one common goal to find love.

"Natalie and Paul's flame burned bright for a few months but balancing life on the outside with nurturing their fledgling relationship proved too tricky. With Natalie in Bournemouth and Paul in Bath the distance wasn't insurmountable, but they were both independent people who had great lives of their own and in the end they decided their love wasn't greater than the hurdles."

Appearing as a surprise single dad on series two of My Mum, Your Dad, Paul opened up about his split with Natalie, explaining that while she was a "lovely person" they just weren't "compatible".

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