KNOT HAPPY
Cattiest MAFS feuds AFTER show ended… grooms’ humiliating Xmas punch-up to star who ‘wiped bum’ with rival’s mag shoot
One bride found herself rudely ejected from the cast's WhatsApp group
MARRIAGE is meant to be the ultimate commitment to your partner - but when you only meet them at the altar, it can turn into a nightmare.
And that has been the reality for many couples who have got wed on E4's Married at First Sight.
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But it's not just ugly break-ups that occur after the cameras stop rolling, with many former friends and co-stars descending into bitter feuds and even brawls.
Here, we reveal some of the biggest MAFS spats that reared their heads after filming wrapped from the UK and Aussie shows.
Grooms' backlash over 'unpaid debts'
Ross McCarthy, 32, was one of the most loved stars in this series, thanks to his romance with Sacha Jones.
But he has left his fellow grooms furious after allegedly borrowing money that he's yet to repay back.
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A source told The Sun that many of the lads he filmed with are refusing to speak to him now after lending him their cash.
They said: “A lot of the grooms are not happy with Ross as he borrowed money from several of them during filming, and it all turned a bit nasty.
“They had to chase him to pay them back for months, and now lots of them aren't speaking to him and none of them are following him any more on social media.
“Even though it was initially an issue between the lads, a lot of the brides on the show have sided with their husbands and are no longer in contact with Ross.”
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A different source placed close to Ross claims he has paid all of his debts, but things are so bitter between the men that the others have refused to film the Christmas reunion if the painter and decorator takes part.
The source said: “They don't even refer to him as Ross anymore, they call him 'that man'. It's one of the biggest feuds in MAFS history.”
MAFS UK grooms in 'new feud' after devastating takedown at dinner party
Having a brawl
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When it comes to drama, Jordan Gayle can't seem to stay away as he's found himself repeatedly feuding with fellow series eight groom Luke Worley.
The pair had numerous spats on the show, which eventually culminated in Luke being removed from the show after hitting Jordan.
Luke went on to brand his rival a "f***ing scumbag".
In further cringe-inducing scenes, the pair went on to have a second scrap at a Pretty Little Thing Christmas event in December 2023.
Jordan claims Luke attacked him for a second time and managed to scratch his eye.
Prior to the clash, the pair had agreed to step into the ring for a boxing match to settle their differences.
But it never happened, with Luke's lack of training being allocated the blame.
Announcing the cancellation, the official DKM Plush boxing page announced: "It is with deep regret we announce that the scheduled bout between Luke Worley & Jordan Gayle has been cancelled by ourselves (DKM Plush).
"Boxing can be a brutal, unforgiving sport & due to the comments outside of training for the scheduled bout, we have concerns that Luke hasn't been able to train as we would expect from him worthy of a 5 x 2 min bout on February 9th."
Jordan told The Sun at the time: "Just the fact that he'd not been in the boxing gym, they were worried he was not taking it seriously.
"They were basically worried for his health, that if I fought him, I could do some serious damage because he was not taking it seriously.
"Obviously it's not a good look for him and they didn't want to pay him that money because he hadn't earned it."
Banned from WhatsApp group
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Charlie Curtis, 30, and Eve Reid, 31, struggled to make their marriage work on this year's series and quickly called it quits.
Viewers branded their relationship toxic and claimed Eve had “bulldozed” any chance of making the marriage work.
But behind the scenes, Charlie claimed she was cut off from the other cast members as they sided with Eve's version of why their relationship broke down.
“[Eve] didn’t want anything to do with me after the show, she blocked me on everything,” Charlie said in a TikTok.
“She didn’t want me in the group chat, the girls and some of the boys were good friends with her at this point and I wasn’t in the group chats.”
Since the show started airing in September, Charlie claims she has been added back into chats because the other cast members have seen what actually went down.
Bum deal
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MAFS Australia is known to be filled with drama and it doesn't stop when the filming ends.
Grooms Ben Walters, 39, and Jono McCullogh, 39, didn't get on during their series, especially as Ben's on screen wife, Ellie Dix, 32, went on to date Jono.
Jono had in fact been texting Ellie behind the back of his wife, Lauren Dunn, 32.
Clearly still annoyed from being passed over, Ben posted a now-deleted video showing himself wiping his bottom with a magazine feature Jono and Ellie on the cover.
It was likely the short clip was aimed at annoying his rival, but had the opposite effect.
Post a reponse video, Ben said: "This video goes out to Benny boy. I saw you used our New Idea article to wipe your bum the other day.
"It's actually pretty good, the best joke you've done, which isn't saying much.
"I was going to do the same thing, but then I realised you don't have a New Idea article."
Five-year spat
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Jessika Power, 31, and Cyrell Paule, 30, appeared in the Australian version of the show in 2019, but haven't stopped taking shots at each other.
The pair initally feuded because Jessika had a fling with Cyrell's boyfriend Eden before the couple got together.
But things escalated again in September when they had a spat over Jessika agreing with another reality star who slammed Cyrell.
In a podcast, the woman called Cyrell "scary" and claimed she had PTSD from their interaction.
It prompted Jessika to comment: "She's as reactive as they come. She will find an argument out of thin air that woman."
Furious that her former co-star had got involved, Cyrell posted a long rebuttal calling Jessika a "b*****".
She added: "For someone like you who likes to run their mouth when the only thing you seem to have run out of is money.
"Still a fake a*s irrelevant b***h trying to comment so you can make headlines again.
"I hope me giving you attention can help rebuild your career. God knows you need the money."
The pair continued to spat online for the rest of the evening.
Humiliating divorce reveal
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Ben Jardine, 36, and Stephaine Saint Remy, 32, weren't exactly a match made in heaven and it came out after the show that he'd cheated on her before they'd even gone on their honeymoon.
The 2017 couple were popular with fans in the early stages of the show but things turned sour.
But while things weren't smooth sailing, Steph was horrified when she discovered they were getting divorced... by listening to the radio.
At the time, she said: "He was divorcing me. He had cheated on me. He was announcing it on the radio. There are very few moments in your life that truly rock you to your core.
Stephanie went on to explain: "Ben called me later that night and we talked for an hour.
"I asked why he had lied to me about the cheating, but he swore on his mother’s life to me that he had never even kissed another girl since the day we were matched.
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"I told him I had listened to it and heard the words come out of his mouth that he had had a ‘kiss and a cuddle’ which is how he refers to sex. I asked how he could say that if it wasn’t true and he replied ‘well, it’s just what you say isn’t it’."
She claimed that they'd never broached the subject of divorce in a conversation before he said it in an interview.
Mafs couples that have stood the test of time
Loved-up Tayah Victoria and Adam Aveling of series six fame had the first Mafs baby.
The pair couldn't keep their hands off each other on the programme and quickly found their feet in the outside world, moving into Adam's Doncaster home.
Just 18 months after meeting, the couple welcomed their daughter Beau.
Season five couple Michelle Walder and Owen Jenkins also managed to make their marriage work away from the cameras and had their first child in December.
Teacher Michelle, 29, has no regrets about taking part in the experiment. She told us: “I just feel very lucky and thankful that it has worked out - and excited for everything to come.”
Michelle and Owen were both sick of dating apps when they applied in 2019.
Owen recalled: “I had been out for some drinks with a friend after work.
"While he was out for a cigarette I was scrolling on Instagram waiting for him to come back in.
“The MAFS advert was the last thing I saw, and I joked, ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if I signed up?’
“A few beers later when I was back at home I sent in the application, and the rest is history.”
Another couple to make Mafs UK history is Zoe Clifton and Jenna Robinson.
Despite a slight rocky start, where they clashed over Jenna's vegan lifestyle, the show's first same sex pairing are still going strong.
They even have a successful podcast together called Life With a Pod.
Jenna shed light on being involved in the show earlier this year when she told us: "We're not legally married, and I never felt like we were. I definitely feel the process makes you take the relationship a lot more seriously and having the help of the experts… if you can survive that process it sets a firm foundation for a long-lasting relationship."
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