‘Married at First Sight’ Couple Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner Reflect on Proving Everyone Wrong With 5 Years of Marriage

Married at First Sight couple Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner recently opened up and reflected on proving everyone wrong with five years of marriage.

During a conversation with PEOPLE, the couple spoke candidly about where they are and how far they have come after people told them they would never last.

“People laughed at us when they heard we were doing the show,” Otis exclaimed. “Now here we are!”

“I don’t want to sound corny, but we owe our lives to this TV show and the experts that stuck with us. It was life-changing for us,” Hehner went on to say. “We’re very happy with where we are. We’re still growing as a couple.”

Otis went on to share that she had a rough time on their wedding day back in 2014.

“I had a panic attack and thought that I made the worst decision of my life,” she explained. “I instantaneously took one look at him and was like, ‘Nope, it’s not going to work out.’ There was no chemistry, I wasn’t really attracted, there was no butterflies.”

“If I had been very close-minded, I would have missed out on the love of my life,” Otis later added. “I would have missed out on becoming a mom with this amazing man who is a spectacular father and all because of what? Because I was scared we didn’t have chemistry? Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.”

The couple have since welcomed a daughter — Henley Grace, who was born in 2017 — after suffering a tragic miscarriage. Otis says that overcoming the adversity of a lost child helped her to better appreciate her “rainbow baby.”

“There’s one quote that always resonates with me: ‘God knew my heart needed you,’” Otis says. “That quote really resonates with me because I was at such a point of pain and despair before I got pregnant with her. When she came into the world, it really healed my soul. I’m beyond thankful for her. She’s the absolute best thing that has happened to us.”

Married at First Sight airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Lifetime.