Strangers recreated a real life 'Married at First Sight' experiment when they tied the knot the day they met.

Joshua Fox, 33, says he was "hopeless" when it came to trying to find Mr Right and claims he would constantly find reasons to back out of dates."

But, keen to find 'the one' Joshua decided find a man who he would meet for the first time on their wedding day.

Podcaster Joshua left his match in the hands of his producer and friend, Pedro Vitola, who set about finding him a husband by taking to the streets of Sydney, Australia - asking men who fit Joshua's type if they were willing to marry a stranger.

He bumped into Stefano Reginato Rivelli, 31, a travel company owner - who was fed up of the dating apps and thought "why not try something new?"."

Stefano decided to take the leap of faith and marry Joshua - despite only being told he had been matched with someone.

Pedro and Joshua organised the big day - a ceremony at Doltone House, Jones Bay Wharf, Sydney - with friends and family in attendance.

The couple locked eyes with each other while Joshua walked down the aisle on May 6 - and said they were instantly attracted to each other.

The newlyweds have just returned from their five day honeymoon in the Southern Highlands, Australia, and have moved in together in Sydney, Australia - and are enjoying getting to know each other.

Joshua, originally from Manchester, UK, said: "I decided to do this because I am hopeless with dating."

"I had this mentality that you will be swiping, have a chat with someone, but I was constantly finding reasons to convince myself that it wasn't going to work."

"Whereas with this, it takes dating right back to basics."

"I am with this person, I am not looking through socials, or texting him, I am taking it at face value, which is refreshing."

Stefano, originally from Cordoba, Argentina, added: "I have tried dating with the apps and social media, but it never works, and I thought why not try something new?"

"I always like to take adventures in my life, and I want to settle down."

"I was very nervous and didn't know what to expect, but I had a good feeling when I arrived at the wedding and saw the back of him, then when he turned around, I was like 'OK, this is good'."

"He is my type, but then in his vows, he said he is a 'mess with good intentions' so that made me nervous to find out what he means."

Joshua decided to try and re-create the experience on the show Married at First Sight after talking to his producer, Pedro - who recommended he give it a go and get to know someone in real time.

Pedro asked Joshua what criteria he would be looking for in a partner and went and found Stefano.

Joshua said: "I wanted someone kind and compassionate, in the gay dating community, some people are very superficial."

"I have had ups and downs with my mental health, and I can be introverted. I wanted someone who could reassure me."

"I also wanted someone outgoing who could help me pull through in those moments of struggle."

"My type is South Americans with tattoos, and that is exactly what I got."

On May 6, Joshua and Stefano tied the knot in a ceremony in Sydney, Australia, surrounded by their closest friends and family.

Joshua said he was "relieved" when he turned around and saw Stefano, and feared his match might be someone he didn't have a sexual attraction to."

He said: "I was so relieved that I was attracted to Stefano, I wanted this project to be as real as possible."

"I knew if I turned around and someone wasn't attractive, I couldn't hide it."

"I don't think I could have built a connection with someone who I was unattracted to, and this would have been over in 24 hours."

Stefano added: "I was very nervous and didn't know what to expect, but I had a good feeling when I arrived at the wedding and saw the back of him, then when he turned around, I was like okay this is good."

"He is my type but then in his vows he said he is a "mess with good intentions" so that made me nervous to find out what he means."

Despite being immediately attracted to Stefano, Joshua said he struggled the first night and was close to backing out of the relationship - but says he was glad he didn't.

Joshua said: "I was so stressed out, I was thinking 'what the hell am I doing?' I was close to backing out."

"Even on the wedding night, he fell asleep, and it was 3am, I was freaked out, I couldn't sleep, but I pushed through, and I am glad I did."

"The difference with this and dating is we don't really give people the chance, we can get into our own heads."

After the wedding - which wasn't a legal ceremony - Joshua and Stefano spent a week in the Southern Highlands, Australia, on their honeymoon.

The break allowed the newlyweds to focus on one and other and build a deeper connection.

Joshua said: "The honeymoon was great, whereas on the wedding evening, we still had our friends and family, so it was hard to focus on each other."

"When we went on our honeymoon, we were able to talk to each other and get to know each other."

"The intimacy and affection were so much more than I could have expected."

Stefano added: "I could see from the start that he has a big heart, which is what I look for in anyone."

"I judge people by their actions, not words, and he is very sweet."

"When we had dinner one night on honeymoon, I said I liked the wine, then he came back and had bought a bottle for me to take home as a surprise."

"He does a lot of little things like that, which is very nice."

The pair are now back living together in Stefano's apartment in Bondi Beach, Sydney - where they are learning to navigate married life.

Joshua said the "beauty" of their relationship is that there is no end, and they are excited to see what happens."

He said: "The beauty is that there is no end date, we don't know where this relationship is going to go."

"It might turn into an official relationship, or there might be something that one of us has done that we just can't get passed."

"We decided that it has been great getting to know each other, but we want to be friends or carry on as we are."

"We just don't know which is exciting for us."