A Married At First Sight groom has hit back at the backlash he has faced for leaving his ‘marriage’
TV personality Eliot Donovan, best known for his controversial stint on Married at First Sight Australia, has finally broken his silence about his failed on-screen marriage.
The 35-year-old has reacted to critics, slammed the show’s editing, and stood by his decision to leave his TV wife, Lauren Hall.
In a candid chat with Daily Mail Australia, Eliot confessed he has no regrets about walking away from his marriage. He stated: “Absolutely no regrets. I said I would do it and I did it. I wouldn’t be able to look at myself in the mirror if I’m there saying, ‘look, if she’s not right for me, if these things don’t line up, then I’m gonna leave’ and then I stick around and go against my word. That’s not the sort of person I am.”
Despite facing a barrage of criticism from viewers over his long list of non-negotiables, Eliot seems unfazed.
He admitted: “Online, you’d think I’m about to be crucified! But in person? Completely different. People come up to me ten times a day asking for selfies! Guys will come up and be like, ‘Oh, can I get a selfie for my girlfriend?’ And I’m like, ‘yeah, for your girlfriend, no worries!”’
Even though his dramatic departure sparked a lot of chatter among fans, Eliot maintains that the real story wasn’t accurately portrayed on screen. He believes the show’s editing made him look worse than he really is.
He said: “It’s so frustrating. It’s so funny with the way that they can like cherry-pick parts of my personality and then not show other parts where, you know… And people will say you said those things, reports the Mirror.
“If you’re saying it in defence of something or in a way where you are saying, look, I don’t think it’s fair or this or that, and you add context to it, then I think it communicates completely differently.”
Eliot made the bold decision to walk away from the MAFS experiment less than 48 hours after meeting his bride. But in the interview, he admitted that he would not apologise with how he has handled things.
Eliot’s marriage to Lauren was evidently rocky from the very beginning. However, according to him, their biggest issue was their varying views on starting a family.