Married At First Sight expert John Aiken shares heartfelt tribute to Trisha Stratford one year after her shock death

Relationship expert John Aiken paid a moving tribute to his former Married At First Sight colleague Dr Trisha Stratford on Tuesday.

The neuropsychotherapist, who worked with 54-year-old John for seven seasons before leaving in 2019, died last September at the age of 72.

Her good friend has now posted a number of photos on Instagram a year after her death, in which she shares fond memories of the time they worked together.

In the first photo, John and Trisha sit on the experts’ iconic couch during a break from filming for MAFS.

This was followed by another photo of the couple, showing them laughing in the early years of the series, while looking decades younger.

John also shared a photo of them posing with fellow MAFS expert Mel Schilling, before his final photo became a more intimate selfie with just him and Trisha.

“Today I’m thinking of my friend and expert Tish,” John wrote in the caption, referring to Trisha by her nickname.

‘It’s been a year already. Currently drinking @twopaddocks Pinot and listening to @sirdavedobbyn.’

John announced on September 19, 2023 that Trisha had passed away at the age of 72.

“I am devastated and heartbroken to hear that my friend and dear colleague Trisha has passed away,” he wrote on Instagram when she passed away.

“We shared seven amazing seasons of MAFS together. She loved everything 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. He told hosts Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo that Trisha was an “amazing woman” and a “voice of reason” on set.

The neuropsychotherapist, who worked with John on the series for seven seasons before departing in 2019, passed away last September at the age of 72

When asked about the cause of death, John said he wanted to respect the wishes of Trisha and her family and keep this information private.

“Even though she was on the number one show in Australia and Asia and also travelled all over the world, she was also quite a private person and had a lot of integrity,” he said.

Trisha’s impressive accomplishments include being a single mother to three daughters while simultaneously managing a stressful career.

She was also New Zealand’s first female sports journalist and later became a war correspondent, after which she retrained as a clinical neuropsychotherapist.

Now, her close friend has marked the anniversary of her death with a series of photos on Instagram, sharing fond memories of their time working together.

Channel 9 said in a statement following her death: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Dr Trisha Stratford.

“Our sincere condolences and sympathy go out to her 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)

‘Thinking about my friend and expert Tish today,’ John wrote in the caption. ‘It’s been a year already. Currently drinking @twopaddocks Pinot and listening to @sirdavedobbyn’

She was part of the lineup for seven seasons and announced in 2020 that she would be taking a step back for the eighth season.

“After seven seasons of Married At First Sight, I have decided to step back from the television series to focus on my writing, research and neuropsychotherapy,” Trisha said in a statement at the time.

In early 2021, Trisha also launched a scathing attack on the controversial reality series, claiming it made her feel “sick.”

“Ultimately, I couldn’t compromise my professional and personal standards any longer because there were contestants on the show who, in my opinion, shouldn’t have been there,” she told Woman’s Day New Zealand.