Brisbane businesswoman Lauren Hall is set to walk down the aisle for a second time in a dramatic twist that promises to shake up Married At First Sight 2025.
Lauren is hotly tipped to return to the show as an intruder bride after her original groom, Eliot Donovan, abruptly quit during their honeymoon.
Lauren, who runs the successful corporate gifts business Mayfair Lane Gifts, was left blindsided when her ‘handsome’ groom Eliot packed his bags and left the show, mere days after they tied the knot.
Insiders reveal that producers at Endemol Shine Australia were left scrambling after Eliot’s sudden exit, which has thrown the show’s carefully laid plans into disarray.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, a source close to the production said: ‘Eliot was unimpressed from the moment he laid eyes on Lauren. It was clear from the get-go that this was a complete mismatch.
‘By the next morning, he was done—no second thoughts, no hesitation. Everyone was in shock, asking, “WTF is going on?”‘
The same insider revealed that Eliot felt he had been ‘stitched up’ by the show’s producers.
‘Eliot didn’t even sign up for the show. He was scouted by producers and had no interest in pursuing any sort of agreement to try and get 15 minutes of fame out of this. He just wanted out.’
Lauren, described by friends as ‘super fun and entertaining’ and ‘really good at what she does,’ was reportedly devastated by the turn of events.
Producers, who had high hopes for her to be a standout bride this season, are now considering bringing her back as an intruder to inject some fresh drama into the already chaotic series.
An insider revealed: ‘Producers were gutted for Lauren. They were banking on her being a star of the show, but her dreams of reality TV were cut short.
‘Now, they’re thinking of bringing her back as an intruder to give her another shot—and to keep the drama levels high.’
This season of MAFS has already been labelled the most chaotic in the show’s history, with producers struggling to keep a lid on the turmoil.
It comes after Daily Mail Australia previously exclusively revealed that Lauren has a surprising connection to the Channel Nine dating show.
She previously dated Jonathan McCullough, who was paired with Lauren Dunn on last year’s season of the Channel Nine experiment.
The pair dated for about three months before breaking up in January 2023, reportedly on good terms after realising they were ‘too different.’
A production insider hinted at some behind-the-scenes drama, claiming that casting producers were aware of Lauren’s past with Jono and asked her to erase any traces of him from her social media.
‘Production was hoping to quietly sweep it under the rug, but word got around that she was appearing on the show and that she and Jono knew each other,’ the source revealed.
During his time on MAFS, Jono formed a connection with bride Ellie Dix after his romance with Lauren failed, and the pair are now in a relationship.