Married at First Sight Australia’s Jono and Lauren were the first couple to split during the Final Vows. The pair gave one another a frosty reception as they met for the first time since the explosive Dinner Party where it was revealed that Jono had been texting former bride Ellie.
Jono kicked off the proceedings by saying how lucky he felt when he met Lauren at the alter, but that they’d struggled through the experiment as he felt she had her walls up and viewed him through a “negative” lens.
However, it was Jono’s comments about texting fellow bride Ellie that left Lauren lost for words. He said: “I didn’t think this [the texting] was an issue, you snatched my phone off me and pretended like the messages with Ellie were flirty, they were not.
“Seeing you so willing to lie like that to make me look bad astonished me, and by lying to the whole group to make me look bad, you showed you don’t support me and it makes me deeply upset.”
Jono then confirmed he was splitting up with Lauren as he admitted: “This is when I knew you weren’t the person for me.” The admission made a shocked Lauren burst out laughing before Jono added: “I do wish you all the best in this crazy journey we call life.”
Lauren then read out her own speech, in which she told Jono, “it’s not me, it’s you,” as she called him out for not taking responsibility for his own actions. She said: “Jono, I’m going to deviate from my expected tone and adopt an approach a little more foreign to me. I went all out for you today and managed to find my heart. So in honour of this discovery I’m going to speak to you from it.”
She continued: “Our wedding day was magical, everything I expected and more. The chemistry and immediate attraction was palpable and I felt like the experts got it right when I saw you standing at the end of the aisle.
“All my concerns, reservations and outside noise and cynicism melted away. Although we had our ups and downs we were both as willing to give it our absolute all. At least that’s what it seemed.
“Our homestay visit to me was the absolute highlight of our relationship. I felt like I could truly see some kind of future together outside of this experiment and it was exciting. And then, of course, it all came crashing down.”
Speaking about the texts, Lauren said: “It was brought to my attention that you had been continuing to build some kind of relationship with another bride. One that you hid from me, then had the audacity to blame me for when you were exposed. My world felt like it had come crashing down around me.
“Instead of taking accountability at the final dinner party you chose to try and flip the script on me, blame me for not caring, never liking you and not being here for the right reasons.
“Although you completely wasted my time in terms for finding a romantic partner, you taught me that I should always trust my gut. Jono I don’t see a future with you and no it’s not me, it’s you.”