Relationship expert John Aiken on Tuesday shared a touching tribute to his former Married At First Sight colleague Dr. Trisha Stratford.
The neuropsychotherapist, who worked alongside John, 54, for seven seasons of the series before his departure in 2019, died at the age of 72 last September.
Now her long-time friend has marked one year since her death with a photo reel on Instagram, sharing happy memories of their time working together.
The first snap shows John and Trisha sitting on the experts’ iconic sofa during a break from filming MAFS.
This was followed by another image of the couple smiling in the early years of the series, with the couple looking decades younger.
John also shared a photo of them posing with fellow MAFS expert Mel Schilling, before his final photo was a more intimate selfie with just him and Trisha.
“Today I’m remembering my friend and expert Tish,” John wrote in the caption, referring to Trisha by her nickname.
“It’s been a year. I’m currently drinking Pinot from @twopaddocks and listening to @sirdavedobbyn.”
Relationship expert John Aiken, 54 (right), shared a touching tribute to his former Married At First Sight colleague Dr Trisha Stratford (left) on Tuesday
John announced Trisha’s death at the age of 72 on September 19, 2023.
“I am heartbroken and devastated by the passing of my friend and dear colleague Trisha,” he announced on Instagram after her death.
“We shared seven amazing seasons of MAFS together. She loved all things New Zealand, relationships, the All Blacks, the Black Caps, French wine and travelling the world. I’ll miss you, Tish. Thanks for all the memories.”
John appeared on the Today show to share his fondest memories of working with the neuropsychotherapist, telling co-hosts Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo that Trisha was an “incredible woman” and a “voice of reason” on set.
The neuropsychotherapist, who worked alongside John for seven seasons of the series before her departure in 2019, passed away at the age of 72 last September.
When asked about the cause of death, John said he wanted to respect the wishes of Trisha and her family by keeping this information private.
“Although he was on Australasia’s number one show and also travelled all over the world, he was also quite a private person and had a lot of integrity,” he said.
Trisha’s impressive accomplishments include being a single mother of three girls while also maintaining a high-stress career.
She was also New Zealand’s first female sports journalist and later became a war correspondent before retraining to become a clinical neuropsychotherapist.
Now her longtime friend has marked one year since her death with a photo reel on Instagram, sharing happy memories of their time working together.
Channel 9 said in a statement at the time of her death: ‘We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Dr Trisha Stratford.
‘Our deepest condolences and deepest sympathy go out to his family and loved ones during this difficult time.’
During her time on the show, Trisha was known for her “pheromone test” and asking contestants if they had been “intimate” with each other.
John shared a photo of them posing with fellow MAFS expert Mel Schilling (left).
“Today I’m reminded of my friend and expert Tish,” John wrote in the caption. “It’s been a year. I’m currently drinking @twopaddocks Pinot and listening to @sirdavedobbyn.”
He was part of the cast for seven seasons and announced in 2020 that he would be retiring before the eighth season.
“After seven seasons of Married At First Sight, I have decided to step away from the television series to focus on my writing, research and neuropsychotherapy,” Trisha said in a statement at the time.
Earlier in 2021, Trisha also came forward to launch a scathing attack on the controversial reality series, claiming it left her feeling “sick.”
“In the end, I couldn’t compromise my professional and personal standards because there were participants on the show who I felt shouldn’t have been there,” she told Woman’s Day New Zealand.