‘Nothing but excuses’: MAFS’ Stephen and Michael on the demise of their marriage

‘I gave too much’


Michael and Stephen left MAFS Australia last night, and the two have reflected on the downfall of their Married at First Sight nuptials in an exit interview where they speak about what led to their relationship’s demise and the status of their dynamic now.

Michael was unhappy that Stephen never felt a spark with him, but seemingly found it elsewhere when he found his husband flirting with a hairdresser. As we saw on the show, Michael said “I can see my husband flirting with the hairdresser, and on the car ride home I see that Stephen was smiling and laughing at his phone,” he explains to cameras. “I asked, ‘Who are you texting?’

“He was talking to the hairdresser. Stephen told me that he felt a spark with this hairdresser that he’s never felt with me.”

Yikes – a big hiccup in the road. But where do the two stand now?

“We didn’t want it to get toxic, we wanted to remain friends and we are still friends. So it was best just to call it quits,” Michael shared.

“We’re on good terms. I would definitely say he’s a friend. I would be happy to see him out, I would be happy to make plans with him if I’m ever in Perth and vice versa for him to come to Melbourne.”

Stephen then said despite the fact there wasn’t a romantic spark they had a really good friendship foundation. “We ended, from my point of view, really well. We’re in a really good place now,” he said. “We shared this crazy experience together, and I think that’s both really important to us to keep in touch and keep this friendship that we’ve built.”

Talking about what Stephen and Michael learned on MAFS, “I’ve definitely learned I’m a lot more guarded than what I [thought],” Stephen said. “I knew I had a few walls up, but to realise how solid they were, that’s definitely something I want to work on. It is hindering not just me, but potential relationships.”

Michael reflected on what he was like on the experiment, and his regrets, saying “Relationship-wise, just don’t be too available. I think I just gave a little bit too much,” he remarked. “Maybe I should reel it in a little bit, keep my cards closer to my chest and get to know people day by day, take it a day at a time.”

For all the latest MAFS Australia 2024 news and gossip on Stephen and Michael, like The Holy Church of MAFS on Facebook.

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