As tensions boiled over between Adrian Araouzou and Awhina Rutene during MAFS’ Friends and Family Week, one question was on everybody’s lips…
What the hell is going on with Adrian and his female ‘best friend’ Jasmin Weston?
The pair’s closeness and the way Jasmin was so hostile towards Awhina and her twin sister Cleo during Monday’s episode was immediately suspect to viewers, many of whom speculated the two were more than just friends.
After Jasmin issued a surprising public statement on Tuesday announcing she was no longer friends with Adrian and regretted defending him on the show, I can reveal what really happened behind the scenes.
For context, before MAFS, Adrian and Jasmin were known for co-hosting a viral Instagram baking show Sweet Sundayz, in which they showed off dessert hacks.
Friends and Family Week was filmed about six months ago at a time when Jasmin was ‘still very much’ Adrian’s best friend and, by her own admission, knew little of the issues Awhina was experiencing in the relationship.
Adrian Araouzou (right) and his ‘best friend’ Jasmin Weston (left) are pictured together during filming of Married At First Sight last year. She caused a stir during Friends and Family Week when she was hostile towards Adrian’s ‘wife’ Awhina Rutene and her twin sister Cleo
Friends and Family Week was filmed about six months ago at a time when Jasmin knew little of the issues Awhina (left) was experiencing in her relationship with Adrian
Tensions boiled over between Adrian and Awhina during Monday’s episode of MAFS
So she defended Adrian instinctively – something she now wishes she hadn’t done.
After MAFS wrapped production in November, Adrian and Jasmin went on holiday together to Bali.
It wasn’t supposed to be a romantic trip. Even though their relationship was on shaky ground, Adrian had invited his bride Awhina, as well as his co-stars Dave Hand, Jamie Marinos and Eliot Donovan. However, only Eliot and Jasmin showed up.
Sources familiar with Adrian and Jasmin’s friendship tell me it soon became apparent she had feelings for him and was struggling to watch him from the sidelines with other girls.
‘Adrian just wanted a friend. It was clear to anyone looking on, but Jasmin obviously didn’t get the memo,’ says one of my insiders.
It was upon their return to Australia that Adrian and Jasmin fell out. The once-inseparable pair have blocked each other on social media and are no longer on speaking terms.
The reason for their rift? Insiders tell me it was too painful for Jasmin to be ‘just friends’ with Adrian knowing that deep down she wanted something more.
It marked the end of Sweet Sundayz, which at its peak drew millions of viewers across various platforms. She changed the account’s password on Instagram and turned the TikTok to private – which left Adrian ‘pissed off’.
Jasmin (right) defended Adrian instinctively – something she now wishes she hadn’t done
After MAFS wrapped in November, Adrian and Jasmin went on holiday to Bali. Their friendship fell apart soon afterwards as it became apparent she wanted to be more than just friends
It wasn’t supposed to be a romantic trip. Even though their relationship was on shaky ground, Adrian had invited his bride Awhina, as well as his co-stars Dave Hand, Jamie Marinos and Eliot Donovan. However, only Eliot and Jasmin showed up
‘She put her heart on the line,’ a source says.
‘He just didn’t get it. It’s sad to see their friendship end this way, but Jasmin’s focusing on her own life and her own happiness now.’
When I asked Jasmin if she would like to comment on her soured friendship with Adrian, she said: ‘Friends come into your life for a reason or a season, and ours was just a season.’
The red-headed foodie had been more vocal after Monday’s episode when she took to Instagram to publicly announce she had severed ties with Adrian.
The red-headed foodie took to Instagram after Monday’s episode to publicly announce she had severed ties with Adrian
She acknowledged ending both their friendship and their Instagram baking show Sweet Sundayz at the end of last year, but didn’t go into further details at the time
‘Adrian and I are no longer friends,’ she wrote.
‘Over the next couple of nights you are going to watch me (regretfully) defend Adrian in MAFS. I take full responsibility for my actions… I wish I sympathised with Awhina more.’
Jasmin went on to criticise the ‘warped version of reality’ that once blinded her judgment, revealing she had only known Adrian’s skewed narrative – and not Awhina’s side of the story.
She acknowledged ending both their friendship and Sweet Sundayz at the end of last year, but didn’t go into details.
