Chris Henry and Matt Reyland’s Meet-Cute: ‘I think my heart actually burst. He came out in his dinosaur outfit’

"I feel like we can talk about anything or just not talk about anything," says Matt. Photo / Supplied

Chris Henry is managing director of entertainment publicity company 818 and social talent agency People of Influence. He also presents the Out the Gayte podcast with Matty McLean and Brad Christensen. Matt Reyland is a Year 6 teacher at Coatesville School. The couple had their first date in January this year.

Chris says…

We met on Tinder and chatted for a while. He seemed a smart, interesting guy and I was attracted to what he did for work because I thought it was pretty cool. [Both our jobs] have similar qualities. We both sometimes deal with unruly people and need to coerce them into doing what they’re supposed to do. Mine are just a bit older and have more fame attached to them and his are maybe celebrities in training!

When we decided to go out for a drink it was Auckland Anniversary Day and all the bars were closed. I messaged Matt saying, “The bars are closed. What should we do?” He said, “Let’s go to Coyle Park. I’ll pick up some beers.” So, we met there. He brought along a six-pack of Heineken, which I really like, a packet of salt and vinegar chips and a big thing of dip. It felt really easy. We talked a lot – until all the beers were finished and all the chips and dip were gone.

For our second date, we went to Bar Magda for dinner and then drank lots of gin and talked for ages. I feel like I got to know him “in the real world”, which was really cool. I’d had long conversations on Tinder before but you actually have to meet in the flesh to find out if a person is a good human. Matt had a dog on his Tinder profile, which was attractive. I had catfished him by having lots of dogs on my profile but I don’t actually have a dog of my own.

Recently I went to his school’s ag day. I think my heart actually burst. He came out in his dinosaur outfit and the kids were beside themselves. They were all desperate to “dunk the teacher”. He was such a good sport and I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I even made a good donation to the cause and got a throw-in myself!

This is the thing about how internet dating works – our paths would never have crossed [otherwise]. There’s no part of our lives that intersected. We would never have come across each other and that’s quite refreshing.

He is really good at looking after me. He makes great coffee in the morning. One thing that I love about him is that he’s always keeping an eye out for me. When things are really busy, I always know he’s there to help. I feel very supported.

"I think my heart actually burst. He came out in his dinosaur outfit," says Chris. Photo / Supplied

I love his relationship with his family. His family’s really wonderful, and they all love each other, and my family all really love each other. I find that a hugely endearing quality about him. I think he puts family first and although my family are a bit further away in Whangārei and Kāpiti, he’s really active in participating in my family. When we go away together, my mum and my sister love him. They think he’s the bee’s knees.

He is really kind and lovely and just a good man. We’re a good team together and really good mates. My mum and dad were a great team together. I suppose that’s what I’ve always been looking for in someone. Both of our families have really great examples of relationships. They all get on with each other and they’re all building their own lives together. And that’s a cool, exciting thing about hanging out with him.

Matt says…

I swiped because of his eyes first. I don’t remember what else was on [Chris’ Tinder profile] other than his eyes and the dogs! And then it was easy. We sat down and chatted for ages and it didn’t feel awkward. It just felt really nice straightaway.

When I found out he doesn’t actually have a dog, I did feel a bit ripped off, but my dog really likes attention so it’s probably a good thing. Remus is a chocolate lab and German shorthaired pointer. He likes Chris and they get on really well.

Chris is a very good cook. He cooks for us quite a bit and I’m more than happy to be his tasting audience. He’s very good at putting little bits of leftovers in the freezer. And then he just whips them out and creates wonderful meals. Quite often he will make us pizzas. He’ll just pull out all these little bits and pieces from the freezer and chuck them on a pizza. Delicious. It’s random things like bits of bacon, bits of sausage and feta cheese and spinach. You wouldn’t think they’d make sense but they do. He can make something out of nothing. I don’t know how he does it.

My family just goes on and on about how nice Chris is. They really like him and he’s just slotted in, almost like he’s always been there. [My friends] have found him so easy and enjoyable to be around.

I live with my sister, my sister-in-law and my two nephews in Huapai. My other sister lives about 10 minutes away and my parents are less than a five-minute drive away. My grandparents’ place is less than a two-minute drive. I grew up in Te Atatū. My parents moved out to Huapai and then once we started looking for houses, it was nice to be out there, too. Chris lives in Waterview. I’ve never spent as much time in central Auckland as I have since I’ve known Chris.

I really like that [our relationship] is just so comfortable. I feel like we can talk about anything or just not talk about anything. I think that’s something really nice. I’ve sometimes felt I needed to fill silences with other people but I’ve never felt that with Chris.

I think he’s really funny but I don’t want that to go to his head though. I like seeing when he gets really passionate about stuff, like when he’s cooking or when he’s in his garden. And he’s just such a good friend. He has so many amazing friends around him. And that’s obviously because he’s a good friend back. So that’s really cool. He’s really authentic and charming. He’s just himself.

- As told to Penny Lewis