MARRIED At First Sight Australia expert John Aiken didn’t hold back as he came face to face with a groom who walked out on his wife, two days into the honeymoon.
Fans were left horrified as Eliot Donovan left bride Lauren Hall, 37, shortly after their wedding, claiming she didn’t meet his ‘non-negotiables’.
Despite Lauren’s pleas to give the experimental marriage a chance, Eliot told her he found it ‘kind of pointless’, later listing her age as one of the reasons they wouldn’t work out.
He’s since listed a string of other complaints he had about his wife Lauren, in a chat with John.
MAFS groom Eliot had specifically requested to have a sit down chat with John, despite the fact that he should’ve still been on his honeymoon.
And the pair didn’t see eye to eye as John confronted Eliot.
“Eliot, this is highly unusual, typically I don’t get to talk to brides or grooms, when they’re on their honeymoon,” John began.
Sitting in a white shirt and suit, Eliot responds by telling John why he’s there, as he says: “I had to get out of there. I feel like I stayed for longer than I really should have.”
John then looked baffled as Eliot admitted he’d given the honeymoon “two days” before walking out on bride Lauren.
Eliot then detailed why Lauren wasn’t the right match for him.
He said: “The person I was matched with was nothing like that. I was expecting to meet a cute librarian girl who was younger than me.
“And I ended up with what felt like a Kardashian sister, and I really value moving my body and I have to do it everyday.
“And I want to meet someone healthy. When we were talking about exercise she had trouble running from one side of the tenniscourt to the other, and I want someone who is under 30, that’s something that works.”
John went on to deliver some home truths after hearing Eliot out, as he said: “Let’s be honest, you’re here on this show because you’re 35 and single and you’ve been going out with young women and it hasn’t worked.”
Eliot interjected: “I get that narrative but…” but John then interrupted to say: “It’s not narrative, it’s just fact.
“You can’t tell me it’s worked, because you’re single and 35.
“I think that you are currently involved in a toxic pattern which is on full display.”
Expert John went on: “You’ve been matched with someone who after two days you’ve decided isn’t right, and you’re running.
“You need to look at yourself and ask yourself why am I sabotaging these relationships and how do I do it?”
Eliot responded: “I don’t, is my answer.”
John then warned Eliot that if he doesn’t acknowledge what is happening he will “keep repeating his toxic pattern.”
The pair ended up calling the chat a day, after Eliot said he didn’t agree with anything John had said to him.
Eliot has since been active on TikTok, prompting viewers to comment asking where his funny and entertaining side was on the show.
He later commented on one post, taking aim at the MAFS producers by saying: “No I was the same person they just cut out all the chill/funny bits to make me look like that.
“If you watch it again you’ll see nothing I say to her is really that bad. I didn’t even really care that much about the non-negotiables, they just pressed me on that and decided to make that my character.
“The way she spoke about her family, her ex Jono and the girls in the experiment gave me everything I needed to want to leave.”
On screen, Eliot was seen giving his list of ‘non-negotiables’ he wanted in a bride, despite relationship expert John Aitken saying they were a “compatible match” as they both had expectations from typical gender roles in a marriage.
But as Eliot announced he was leaving, he told Lauren: “I want someone who is younger than me, 25, someone who wants to have a family, someone that likes exercise like me.
“I want someone that is, like, not into superficial things.”
Lauren, stunned, accused Elliot of not even trying to get to know her.
“You’ve made an assumption. You haven’t actually put in any effort. We haven’t even had deep conversations,” she said.
“Like, you really don’t know anything about me.”
But Elliot refused to back down, replying: “I don’t need you to tell me what I want. Do you know what I mean? There’s no upside for me.”
With that, he walked out, leaving Lauren devastated.
The marriage, as a result, lasted less than three days.
Married at First Sight Australia airs in weekdays on E4 in the UK.
