Controversial Married at First Sight groom Ryan Donnelly was seen out and about on Valentine’s Day with a male friend.
Ryan, 36, whose fiery pairing with Jacqui Burfoot has been a highlight of the ratings winner this season, cut a casual look as he hit a Sydney bar with his handsome companion.
The super-confident reality star wore stone washed blue jeans he paired with a figure-hugging black T.
Wearing his familiar close-trimmed beard, Ryan completed his look with a fashionable Caesar hair cut and brown boots.
Ryan’s pal, meanwhile, was seen in a grey T-shirt, designer stone washed ripped jeans and black runners.
The pair appeared to be enjoying their evening and were seen engrossed in conversation, smiling and laughing.
At one point, the two men walked with their hands outstretched and fingers a hair’s breadth from interlocking in a hand hold.
Controversial Married at First Sight groom Ryan Donnelly was seen out and about on Valentine’s Day with a male friend. (Pictured, left)
Ryan, 36, cut a casual look as he hit a Sydney bar with his handsome companion
Ryan’s fiery pairing with Jacqui Burfoot has been a highlight of the ratings winner this season
It comes after much fan speculation that Ryan and Jacqui would be heading for the exit before MAFS draws to a close this season.
The pair were seen putting on the PDA as they went shopping at a plant centre, in-between takes of filming for the Channel Nine series last year.
Ryan put his arm around his TV bride as they picked out some greenery for their apartment and the couple held hands.
Jacqui looked thrilled with his gentlemanly gesture as they perused the flora at a Garden Life store in the inner west.
The pair rugged up for the outing, with Jacqui dressed in black jeans and a matching black denim jacket paired with trendy leather boots and a Longchamp handbag.
Meanwhile, Ryan showed off his buff frame in tight blue jeans and a fitted oatmeal sweater.
The romantic outing came just days after Ryan landed himself in hot water over an offhand remark that left both the MAFS cast and viewers stunned.
The pair appeared to be enjoying their evening
It comes after much fan speculation that Ryan and Jacqui would be heading for the exit before MAFS draws to a close this season. Pictured: A scene from MAFS
During the intimacy workshop, Ryan joked that Jacqui had ‘crazy eyes’, repeating a put-down that another groom had made about her.
But it was his next comment about her being good at a particular sexual act that repulsed some other grooms, and he was confronted about that at the dinner party.
Jacqui, having learnt of his grubby comments, stormed away from the table.
The backlash from fans was swift, with many slamming Ryan’s remarks as ‘disrespectful’ and ‘degrading’.
The groom later admitted he regrets saying that.
‘It’s probably one of my biggest blunders on the show,’ Ryan confessed in a tell-all interview with Daily Mail Australia.
‘There’s dropping your bride at the wedding, there’s being a so-called warrior and squatting this and that – but that was just crass and inconsiderate. It wasn’t gentlemanly at all.’
Despite his apology, Jacqui has had mixed reactions to the controversy, with insiders revealing that the rollercoaster relationship has seen plenty of heated clashes behind the scenes.
The pair may go the distance after all as they were seen putting on the PDA as they went shopping at a plant centre in-between takes of filming for the Channel Nine series last year
When asked whether Jacqui’s portrayal on the show has been fair, Ryan didn’t hold back.
‘That’s the million-dollar question. What do you think?’ he teased, before hinting that viewers aren’t getting the full story.
‘All I can say is that this marriage has been a wild ride. You can’t strap yourself in and start wailing two minutes in – you knew what you signed up for. Holding a mirror up to yourself isn’t easy, and I won’t say I disagree with what I’m seeing so far.’
He also suggested Jacqui had her own difficult moments, claiming she was ‘pretty horrible at the wedding’ and that her moods take drastic turns throughout the experiment.
‘I got blindsided a few times, and a lot of things happened that I didn’t expect. It definitely makes you question where we stand as a couple,’ Ryan revealed.
