MAFS first villain gets married for real: Davina Rankin weds Jaxon Manuel in Northern NSW
"Let the love weekend begin!"
She was the first person to truly get the villain edit on Australia’s Married at First Sight in 2018, but now Davina Rankin is legit wife material!
The 42yo reality star wed her fiancé, and baby daddy, electrician Jaxon Manuel in a beautiful ceremony at Northern NSW’s Fin Plantation House, with radio host, Abby Jane Coleman acting as celebrant, and the pair’s sweet daughter, 2yo Mila-Mae “Moo” performing flower girl duties.
Married for real!
Davina, who redeemed herself, clearing up the real story behind the infamous villain edit during her stint on 2021’s I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, wore two beautiful gowns from Christie Nicole Bridal for the ceremony and party afterwards.
The guest list included her bestie, and fellow jungle album David ‘The David’ Subritzky and it looks to have been a pretty wild party!
Davina was the first person to truly receive that dreaded “villain” edit on Australia’s MAFS, after organising a duplicitous partner swap with Dean Wells, leaving their respective groom and bride, Ryan Gallagher and Tracey Jewel, blindsided back in 2018.
While initially planning to leave the experiment together, Dean pulled out at the last second, and this time it was Davina who was left in the lurch.
Needless to say, Davina and Ryan both left the experiment without having fallen in love.
Davina’s ‘first wedding’ did not go as smoothly as she would have liked!
Real love at last
Davina and Jaxon began dating after the star’s time on MAFS came to an end, but they originally met in a Brisbane nightclub nearly 10 years earlier.
“Ooh, it was very hazy, wasn’t it?” Jaxon recalled of their meeting to A Current Affair. “It was probably three o’clock in the morning on a dance floor, probably a bit of a kiss, a pash and dash, and that was it.
“And then I don’t know, through mutual friends we rekindled on and off and then we well and truly hit it off pretty much after MAFS aired.”
Due to residing in Bali at the time, Jaxon didn’t catch Davina’s season of the reality show.
“Which is fantastic!” Davina laughed.
Once they started dating, Jaxon revealed that they “just couldn’t get enough of each other”.
And now, their relationship has forged ever stronger with the birth of their first child, Mila-Mae Manuel.
Davina first revealed she was expecting on Mother’s Day 2019 via an exclusive with NW, as well as an enthusiastic Instagram post.
“This years Mother’s Day was just that tiny bit more special ❤️ Especially knowing a little baby Manuel is due to join the family November 19’ 🥰,” the MAFS alum wrote, along with a photo of her burgeoning baby bump.
“I’ll tell you it’s been a LONG 3 months keeping quiet for @jaxonmanuel and I, but we are so happy to finally be able to yell our exciting news from the rooftops 🙌🏼 Our hearts are overflowing with love ❤️ .”
Six months later, their baby girl was born, and a delighted Davina took to Instagram to revel in the news with her followers.
“Welcome to the world little Miss Mila-Mae Manuel ❤️ 11/11/19 7lbs ❤️ I never knew a love like this existed, @jaxonmanuel and I are just absolutely smitten with you. Words can’t even describe it!”
