Pictures: Amalia Osborne.
Naz Khanjani may have walked away without the final rose on The Bachelor NZ nine years ago, but there was a much greater love story waiting in the wings for the show favourite.
After years of long-distance heartache and the hurdles of the pandemic, Naz has finally tied the knot with Londoner Jonny Wilson, who stole her heart from the other side of the globe.
“We had the most beautiful, intimate wedding in January at a private location in London. We had just my parents and Jonny’s mum in attendance,” reveals Naz, 35. The bride looked stunning in a mermaid-style wedding dress. “Over the past couple of years, we’ve been really private. We just wanted our closest family with us on our special day.”
After the lovebirds’ small, heartfelt wedding, Naz says they celebrated with Persian food at a nearby restaurant.
“I was starving after the ceremony, so I googled the closest Persian restaurant and went there in my wedding dress for shish kebabs!” she smiles.
After six years of criss-crossing the world to be together, the Auckland-based couple are delighted to be finally living in one place now Jonny, 42, has moved to New Zealand to be with his beautiful bride. He has taken Naz’s surname, so they are now officially Mr and Mrs Khanjani.
“Our relationship has been challenged in many ways, so it’s amazing to finally be husband and wife,” shares Naz, adding that aside from Jonny being “funny, tall and sexy”, there are many other things she loves about him. “Jonny is so nurturing, he understands me and I love how he makes me feel. He has the biggest heart and would do anything for anyone. I adore him!”
The newlyweds’ love story began in May 2019, when Jonny sent Naz a private message on Facebook.
Naz recalls, “It was a lovely message from a handsome man all the way from London, complimenting me on my posts. I sent a polite reply back, then a couple of days later, Jonny messaged me again saying I was very pretty. I was so nervous, I said, ‘You’re pretty too.’ Things escalated really quickly from there. Within two weeks, we were obsessed with each other and video-calling every day!”
After four months of constant contact and with the couple already declaring their love for one another, Naz booked a plane ticket to London to surprise Jonny.
“Because we talked so much, I had to tell him a white lie that I was going on a women’s retreat and wouldn’t have access to my phone for a few days. I remember feeling so nervous when I got a taxi from the airport to his house and knocked on his door.”
Jonny had just got home from work and wasn’t expecting any visitors, let alone Naz.
“I opened the door, she said hello and I was totally lost for words!” grins Jonny. “Naz tried to jump on me to hug me. However, because I’m six foot five [196cm] and she is five foot two [157cm], she only got about halfway up!”
The smitten couple spent the next two weeks in a blissful bubble. Their connection in person is just as strong as during their online chats.
Naz returned to the UK for a month that Christmas, getting her first taste of a snowy London winter. Jonny was supposed to travel to New Zealand in March 2020, but then Covid completely upended their plans.
“New Zealand went into lockdown and I missed getting there by just one day,” he remembers.
With it impossible for Jonny to visit Aotearoa, Naz headed back to the UK that July, spending five of the next seven months in lockdown at Jonny’s house, with both of them catching Covid after a Boxing Day trip to the grocery store.
“We went from not being able to see each other to not being able to not see each other,” smiles Jonny. “It was definitely a big test of our relationship.”
Navigating long-distance love during the pandemic wasn’t easy, but they both agree the hardships only made their relationship stronger.
Jonny finally made it to New Zealand in December 2022, after the couple had been separated for 14 months. He had another six-month stint here in 2023. On New Year’s Eve that year, he made his love for Naz official. He proposed to her on the balcony of her home, overlooking a beautifully lit Sky Tower.
“Jonny has called me ‘wifey’ since the early days of our relationship, so I always knew we’d be together forever,” tells Naz. “The proposal was a big surprise, though, and of course I said yes without hesitation!”
Jonny has never watched Naz’s appearance on The Bachelor. He says he fell in love with who she is and not who TV producers portrayed her to be.
“I love how straightforward, honest and kind Naz is,” he gushes. “She doesn’t beat around the bush and our communication is amazing. We know each other inside out, and totally understand and respect each other.”
Naz reveals exclusively to Woman’s Day that after The Bachelor wrapped, she had offers to appear on two different seasons of The Bachelor USA, along with the Australian version of the show and a couple of UK reality shows, but she turned all TV invites down, apart from New Zealand’s Dancing With The Stars NZ, which she appeared on in 2018.
“Reality television is far from real. My experience on The Bachelor made me think about what was important to me, which was actual reality. Having a husband, family and a career is more important than fame, followers and money.”
Naz says she’s a completely different person from her reality show days.
“I’ve been through a lot of personal growth and development, and have learned what really matters to me,” she reflects. “I’m a new Naz, who is a lot calmer. Although, of course, being Persian, I’ll always have a bit of fire in me!”
As well as her internal changes, Naz has been open about her physical ones over the past few years, including various cosmetic procedures. She is “happy and content” with where she’s at.
“Living life to please others won’t bring you contentment as there is always someone with something negative to say,” she explains. “Only living life for yourself will.”
For almost two years, Naz has removed herself from social media platforms, preferring to focus on her relationship and career, while having control over what she allows into her life.
It’s been a positive change, says Jonny. “We just want to play the game of life together and not become lost with all the other players.”
Now the couple is excited about their future. Naz is a busy co-franchisee of a fitness industry-related business. Meanwhile Jonny, who comes from a financial and sales management background in London, is keen to get into those areas here. They are planning a six-week honeymoon to Europe, the UK, Canada and the US in August.
The lovebirds can’t wait to start a family when the time feels right. Naz already has advice for any future children if they ever consider reality TV: “Don’t do it!” she laughs.
“Seriously, though, we’re so excited to have some little Naz and Jonnys running around one day. But right now, our number-one priority is each other. We couldn’t be happier.”
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