Married at First Sight UK: Sheffield rocker Richie Dews shows Lara his tender side and melts viewers' hearts

The 51-year-old rocker and his Canadian-born partner faced their first commitment ceremony on the hit E4 show on Monday night, in which the couples are asked to honestly assess the state of their relationships and decide whether to stay together or call it a day.

Richie and Lara were many viewers’ favourites to go before the episode aired, after the initial spark on their wedding day seemed to have fizzled out during both their honeymoon and the first dinner party.

Things didn’t start promisingly in episode 8, with Lara describing car sales executive Richie, who has never before fallen in love, as ‘more of a project than I’d anticipated’.

But then Richie bared all emotionally in what is probably the series’ most moving and romantic moment so far, leaving not just himself but the rest of the room holding back the tears.

“I'm very realistic about weaknesses and things that have destroyed things in the past,” he said.

“I'm always fearful that someone's going to leave or if I'm not good enough for someone, but in this case Lara doesn't give me that feeling at all.

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“She makes me feel like she will be there, and I've probably learned more in the last week than I've learned in the last 20 years.

“And to just even start to flick that switch to know that I can be loved and I can love somebody, I can't even explain the magnitude of that.

“But I tell you what, I'm well on the way to healing that part of me, and I have to thank Lara for that.”

He continued: “People talk about change and not wanting to change and 'this is me, I'm not going to change' but I don't believe that. Sometimes you have to change if you want something special. And I tell you what, that's what I'm going to be doing.

“I don't really want to think about tomorrow if Lara's not around, and every day that goes by just seems to deepen in its own way.

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“I know I've got some work to do but I guess I'm quite proud of myself, where I've got to, and I'm proud of Lara for letting me be a project. For letting me be weak because I've carried those weaknesses for a long time.”

Lara, a professional dancer who works in a chicken restaurant and has two sons, expressed her admiration for how hard Richie was working at their relationship.

“It's hard for him, which makes me feel good because he obviously thinks I'm worth it,” she said.

“I'm not just going to cut and run. I'm really excited to see if this keeps going from strength to strength.”

Having put themselves through the emotional wringer, Richie and Lara were able to let their hair down in episode 9’s Yes Week, which saw the couples move in together and try new experiences designed to bring them closer together.

They played football and could barely keep their hands off each other, enjoying several smooches, with Lara concluding: “I think we're on the right path to being intimate.”