How I met my partner: A love story like a Netflix movie script

From a blind first date to living together in London, television screenwriter Mike O’Leary and documentary director Gagan Rehill’s love story was written not in the stars, but by the stars.

Mike, 42, who is originally from Blackrock in Cork city, and known for his work on Netflix’s Cork-based series Bodkin, was set up with Gagan, 41, from Coventry, known for his work on Netflix’s docu-series Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal, by comedian friend Aisling Bea nearly three years ago.

Speaking to The Echo, Mike said that while the pair had previously matched on the dating platform Tinder, they had no interaction until their first date in November of 2022.

“We had a first date on Guy Fawkes Night. I was living in Cork at the time but a friend of mine, Aisling, set us up,” said Mike.

“I was quite dubious, having been set up by straight friends before, but we met in east London and had the most amazing first date I’ve ever had.

“I was over in London for work, taking a couple of meetings, and Aisling got on to me and said that she was sat next to this guy at a dinner and that he was the guy for me.

“So I went along, we met at the Rosemary Branch, which is actually our local pub now,” he added.

“We went on like a mini pub crawl, then Gagan was like, ‘Listen, nothing untoward, but my house is around the corner, do you want to come back and listen to music?’

“So we went back to his and listened to music; it sounds kind of childish, in a way, but we just danced for like five hours, like a pair of kids, putting on our favourite music.

“We had the best time. Then, I kissed him goodbye and went back to my hotel.”

Following their first date, Mike had cold-feet, having grown accustomed to his singleton life and trying to juggle an increasingly busy work schedule.

“I have to admit, I was a bit skittish. I didn’t text him as much as I should have,” said Mike.

“I was back in Cork for Christmas, and I remember getting a text from my friend Larry, who is a very laid-back, sanguine guy.

“He sent me a very stern message, saying, ‘Gagan is the most amazing person, I think the two of you would be great together, so whatever fear you’re feeling, just get over it and text him back.’ So I did.

“After that, then, we had another date in January [of 2023] and pretty much started going out from then.

“We were doing long-distance for a while and it was probably like date three [in February 2023] when we became exclusive,” he added.

“We met in Dublin, we went to a gig, and I could kind of feel that he maybe needed some reassurance that I wasn’t going to go off again.

“It’s super cheesy, but I had this gold chain that I asked him to mind. I think it was pretty much official from there, it was unspoken, but we acknowledged it in that moment.

“I think we just fell in to an easy rhythm very quickly. It was bizarre. The last relationship I’d been in was 20 years before, with a girl, so it completely blindsided both of us, because we were so fond of our single lives.”

Fast-forward a couple of months, Mike said that the pair embarked on a “grand unveiling” of their newfound relationship.

“We were very quick to say we loved each other. It might have been like date four or five,” said Mike.

“We kind of had this grand unveiling for our friends. Well, we actually had two: The first one was in May of 2023, but then the big one was at Gagan’s 40th birthday.

“In May, it was more about meeting Gagan’s inner circle of friends.

“We had a little party in the Island Queen in Islington, and then we went on a mini tour around Ireland, where I was showing him off to my friends and family back in Blackrock.

“Then, at Gagan’s 40th [in November 2023], there was something like 150 people there.

“I was being paraded around, meeting a steady stream of people and I sort of felt like the ambassador’s wife, or something.

“That’s what I love most about him: People have this unique reaction to him, and getting to bask in the glow of that is maybe my favourite thing about him.”

Between May and November, Mike was offered a new job, which led to the pair moving into Gagan’s apartment in Islington.

“For a while, we had this nice town-mouse/country-mouse set-up, where I’d go over to London for a few weeks and then we’d come back to Myrtleville, where I lived, for two weeks,” said Mike.

“We did that for about six months, and then I got a job based out of Guildford in summer of 2023.

“There was never any kind of conversation about moving in together; we’re both very easy-going. It just kind of happened by osmosis.”

Looking ahead for Mike and Gagan, Mike said that wedding bells could be on the horizon for the couple in the “mid future”.

“I would love to see more of the same for us in the future,” said Mike.

“We talk about marriage quite a bit. We really enjoy our lives at the moment, we’re very lucky with the life we have, and want to continue living that semi-charmed and being very grateful for it.

“I think marriage will be in the mid-future for us. We’re getting a lot of nudges from different quarters, saying, ‘It’s going to happen, so you may as well speed it up’.

“I think he’s just one of life’s big adventurers. He has a preternatural ability to make people believe they’re on an adventure. I couldn’t think of anyone better to go through life with.”