‘Clichéd rom-com scene’: Model presenter Tess Alexander reveals how boyfriend won her heart

It started with long chats over the phone during Covid and four years later, Miss World star Tess Alexander and boyfriend Kieran Ryan are happier than ever as they reveal their relationship secrets.

Tess Alexander and Kieran Ryan met online during the pandemic and started chatting. They haven’t stopped talking ever since. The pair discuss the highs and lows of their four year relationship and the secret to their happiness.

TESS ALEXANDER, 33, PRESENTER, FOUNDER OF PROJECT 12 PILATES

How did you meet?

We met online. Kizz is from Melbourne and we met online during the pandemic.

What was the first thing you noticed about him? Online dating can be like the Wild West, but it felt immediately different when Kizz and I connected. I first noticed how genuinely interested he was in everything and everyone. There isn’t anywhere to hide in an online conversation and I vividly remember thinking: “Wow, this guy is leading and actually contributing to this conversation.”

When did you first know it was love?

You know the clichéd rom-com scene where it’s 2am and the girl is lying in bed, phone on speaker, talking animatedly for hours (and hours)? That was me. It was the summer holidays, we hadn’t met in person but we’d spent the last three nights talking. And three days was all it took and I knew we fitted together in a way that could only be described as love.

Tess Alexander and Kieran Ryan at the Dune premiere

What was your most standout date? Kizz is romantic and super thoughtful and since we met during the pandemic with heavily restricted travel, every time we were able to see each other was monumental. But the standout date would be the first time I travelled to Victoria to see his home in the Grampians. He’d organised a whole itinerary for us to pick sunflowers, picnics at sunset, visit art galleries and watch the sunrise on a mountain above the clouds.

What is the most romantic thing he has done for you? Sometimes the little stuff is more impactful than the big stuff. Kizz will pack a jumper for me because he knows “I’ll be fine” but always cold. I’ll come home to the next book in a series because he’s noticed I’m almost finished reading the previous. He’ll pack gluten free snacks on a long trip and has never skipped ahead on a TV show we’re watching together. He is my biggest cheerleader and that ‘everyday romance’ is the most romantic thing I think a person can do.

What is the secret to a happy relationship?

Liking someone is just as important as loving them. For me, the key ingredient is being best friends with your partner and continually choosing to be with them.

Tess Alexander and Kieran Ryan on holiday together.

Who puts the bins out?

We both do. Unpacking the dishwasher though is my least favourite job and I will use any means necessary to avoid it.

What do you argue the most about? Distance. We spend a lot of time apart which comes with its challenges.

What do you find the most annoying about each other? If you’ve ever wondered who is keeping chocolate milk in business – it’s Kizz. The man is 50 per cent chocolate milk at all times.

Who does the most cooking?

I do and I’m very glad about it.

KIERAN RYAN, 35, DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIPS AND INCOME AT MOVEMBER

How did you meet?

We met online during the pandemic.

What was the first thing you noticed about her? The first thing I noticed about Tess was that she liked to chat! We met online in peak travel restrictions and being in different states without the ability to travel meant we spent a lot of our time connecting over the phone. From the first time we spoke, it was amazing to have genuine conversations that lasted for hours with revolving topics. Each day our conversation started where it had left off from the previous phone call.

When did you first know it was love?

To be honest, for me, it was the second or third phone call. We’d literally spent hours on the phone connecting and sharing stories, laughing and learning about each other and the way I felt after just a few phone calls … I knew I loved her.

Tess Alexander and Kieran Ryan open up about their relationship.

What was your most standout date?

We got up early one winter morning in the Grampians National Park in Victoria to watch the sunrise at Boroka Lookout (an absolute must-do if anyone is travelling there). Tess loves her coffee, so we took a jet-boil to make a coffee on the mountain face. Sitting, watching Tess watch the sunrise over the mountains with the smell of fresh coffee and the eucalyptus was pretty incredible.

What is the most romantic thing she has done for you? Good question. It’s hard to name one thing when there is a list a mile long of romantic things Tess has done for me. I’ll give you two. I grew up watching professional wrestling, and I started watching it again a year or so ago, and for WrestleMania, Tess threw me a surprise watch party. It was incredible, she’d made WWE-themed snacks and drinks and had T-shirts for us to wear. The second one, sometimes when I get home from a run, Tess will have an ice-cold chocolate milk ready for me with the paper. I love sitting with Tess and reading the paper after a run.

What is the secret to a happy relationship?

I like to think the secret to a happy relationship is communication and bringing fun into your day-to-day.

Who puts the bins out? I’d like to think this is 50/50, but honestly, Tess puts the bins out more than I do. If we want to talk about who does more of the laundry then the numbers will be skewed in my favour.

Kieran Ryan and Tess Alexander. Picture: Jared Vethaak

What do you argue the most about? Probably how much chocolate I want to eat all the time.

What do you find the most annoying about each other?Nothing really irritates me about Tess but I do shake my head and laugh when I see a trail of destruction from Tornado Tess. She’s got so many things on in a day and often you can see a trail of clothes and shoes scattered throughout the house – from going between teaching pilates to hosting panels. I get the same laugh and shake of my head when I see 100 (... maybe that’s an exaggeration) half-full glasses of water around our apartment.

Who does the most cooking?Tess, and she’s bloody good at it, too.

What is the trait you like most about her?

It has to be how kind she is; she’d give the shirt off her back to anybody who needed it because she always wants to help. I also love her can-do attitude.