Married At First Sight star Sam Stanton has publicly confirmed his relationship with Sydney-based project manager Ilia, after months of dating in secret. Stanton, a fitness entrepreneur from Adelaide, shared a video on Instagram depicting him playfully pushing his new partner into a lake, captioning the post "Hard launch."
While Stanton did not tag Ilia in the post, Daily Mail has exclusively revealed his identity. Friends close to the couple have stated that Stanton and Ilia have been together for several months, developing their relationship away from public attention.
Sources close to the couple indicate that Stanton and Ilia "instantly clicked" and share common interests, including training and outdoor activities. The long-distance nature of their relationship, with Stanton traveling between Adelaide and Sydney, has reportedly strengthened their bond. Ilia works as a project manager in Sydney and has over five years of experience in project delivery. His professional background includes expertise in customer acquisition, sales optimization, and business operations, with a specialization in project management, stakeholder engagement, and agile product development.
Stanton, who owns a CrossFit gym in Adelaide, has found a shared passion for fitness with Ilia. The couple frequently spends their weekends training together and engaging in outdoor pursuits. This new relationship marks Stanton's first public romance since his notable split from fellow MAFS participant Chris Robinson. Stanton previously shared with Daily Mail his perspective on the breakdown of his relationship with Robinson, describing it as "frustrating and confronting" and expressing hurt over alleged comments made about him that he claims were untrue.