Married At First Sight groom Ryan Donnelly has sensationally claimed that his on-screen bride Jacqui Burfoot was ‘never really on the show to find love’.
In a no-holds-barred interview with Daily Mail Australia, Ryan, 37, revealed how Jacqui allegedly formed a secret connection with fellow groom Clint Rice while they were still married, all while maintaining what he now calls ‘an agenda’ to control her narrative and become the show’s breakout star.
Ryan didn’t hold back when asked why he thought his marriage with Jacqui imploded so dramatically.
‘Her motivation was to be the main character (of the show), I think,’ he said bluntly.
He claimed Jacqui was ‘flip-flopping’ between playing the victim and the heroine throughout the experiment.
‘I think she wanted to pick at something, pull at a thread until the whole thing unravelled. That’s why I looked a bit guarded. I had to say to myself, “Alright, she’s got more masks than a Halloween ball. Which one is she gonna wake up with today?”‘
Married At First Sight groom Ryan Donnelly has sensationally claimed that his on-screen bride Jacqui Burfoot was ‘never really on the show to find love’
In a no-holds-barred interview with Daily Mail Australia, Ryan, 37, revealed how Jacqui allegedly formed a secret connection with fellow groom Clint Rice while they were still married
Ryan also believes he was intentionally paired with Jacqui to create drama.
‘There’s cupid matches and there’s clash matches, and obviously the clash ones are more entertaining,’ he said.
‘I can see the irony of it, but I could also see how I can learn from this and be a better person.’
He added that the entire experiment felt like it was ‘a casserole of nonsense’.
‘You just dip the ladle in and it’s too hot, too cold. It’s insane,’ he added.
Ryan reveals he actually developed feelings for Jacqui
In a surprising confession, Ryan admitted there was a moment during filming when he genuinely fell for Jacqui.
‘There was one moment after a really long day of filming. We’re both exhausted and we’re in the bedroom. We just collapsed on the bed together, just a simple cuddle,’ he recalled.
Ryan didn’t hold back when asked why he thought his marriage with Jacqui imploded so dramatically. ‘Her motivation was to be the main character, I think,’ he said bluntly
In a surprising confession, Ryan admitted there was a moment during filming when he genuinely fell for Jacqui
‘It was just that whole “it’s you and me against the world” type thing. And I actually felt like my feelings really grew for her at that point because we felt united for the first time.’
But he said the moment was fleeting.
‘That moment was soon lost in the storm that was to follow because she’d find something new to criticise or argue about. So I was like, “Am I just wasting my time here? What is your motivation?”‘
Jacqui’s secret relationship with Clint exposed
Ryan also addressed the worst-kept secret of the season — Jacqui’s post-show relationship with fellow groom Clint Rice — revealing their secret connection began while they were still ‘married’ on the show.
‘She admitted to me one night, she’s like, “After one night when I was really upset, I actually called Clint at 3am.”
‘They had a conversation over the phone about her being so upset with the experiment, with me, with Rhi, with everything.’
Ryan claims this was the moment he realised something was going on behind the scenes.
Ryan also addressed the worst-kept secret of the season — Jacqui’s post-show relationship with fellow groom Clint Rice — revealing their secret connection began while they were still ‘married’ on the show
‘My suspicions ended up being confirmed. After that, I was like, “You’ve made a joke of our time here.” Literally.
‘I could’ve taken the whole bitter, jaded side and been like, “Oh, you were messaging him while we were still together.” Which is true.’
Slams Jacqui’s rogue social media crusade
Following the airing of the show, Jacqui launched a series of blistering social media attacks on Ryan — which he says are fuelled by bitterness and ego.
‘Of course she did,’ he said, when asked about her public behaviour.
‘I said to her at the end of filming, “Be realistic about how you are going to be portrayed.” Our relationship wasn’t clean cut, it was chaotic. There were ups and downs. But don’t expect to get the golden girl standout bride edit that you really want and desire.’
Ryan believes Jacqui’s obsession with her image and edit pushed her to go on what he calls a ‘rogue crusade’.
‘When the wedding episode went to air and she’s saying all these horrible things and then immediately gets on social media and starts that rogue crusader act, I was like, “Oh, brother… what are you doing?”
‘Just enjoy the ride, like me. I messed up, but I can sit there with 50 of my mates and have a watch party and be like, “Oh, look at this d**khead.” You’ve got to have that self-irony. Don’t take it so seriously.’