He failed to find love on Married At First Sight, but that hasn’t stopped Mike Gunner’s quest for romance.
The controversial reality star, 50, appeared on the 2019 iteration of the hit Nine reality experiment where he was paired with bride Heidi Latcham.
Despite that romance crumbling, Mike is now getting back on the reality romance horse.
The reality star is starring on the upcoming series of Stan’s dating series Love Triangle, and was spotted filming the show in Sydney last year.
In a case of déjà vu, Mike filmed what appeared to be a beach date with a mystery blonde.
Mike looked ready for some waterside canoodling as he arrived for the date with a picnic.
He cut a casual figure for the coastal encounter, wearing a crisp white singlet underneath a black and white patterned shirt he left unbuttoned.
Mike finished the ensemble with a pair of beige shorts, choosing to go barefoot for the romantic rendezvous.
He kept the sun off his face with a grey baseball cap and was spotted carrying a beach umbrella and a large bag containing what looked to be refreshments for the date.
Mike’s mystery blonde wore a backless black dress for the date and the pair appeared to be getting on like a house on fire.
The couple appeared deep in conversation as they enjoyed a drink on the sand.
It seems that Mike may have learned some lessons since his last reality TV beach date.
Following their conversation, the pair stood to romantically embrace one another, suggesting that Mike’s mystery blonde was quite taken with her ‘beau’.
The display was in stark contrast to his time on Married At First Sight.
After displaying palpable sexual chemistry during their MAFS nuptials six years ago, Mike and his bride Heidi Latcham appeared destined for forever love.
However, those hopes were dashed after the pair were involved in an explosive bust-up during their honeymoon.
The episode saw Heidi pour her heart out to Mike on the beach.
But the groom was less-than impressed with his bride’s personal revelations.
Mike appeared to have no time for his bride’s story about living in foster care and government housing.
He became visibly impatient and told her: ‘Find a conclusion at some point.’
After Heidi was upset by Mike’s lack of sympathy, the Gold Coast tradesman responded: ‘Look, I’m not your therapist. This isn’t therapy.’
‘Mike you are such a f**king hypocrite,’ Heidi snapped back.
‘If we weren’t on an island I would run.’
Mike was widely criticised on social media following the tense exchange, with viewers claiming he was ‘insensitive’, ‘hard to watch’ and lacked social skills.
Meanwhile, Heidi told 9Honey she had forgiven Mike but acknowledged that his uncaring attitude on their honeymoon was a ‘slap in the face’.
Mike and Heidi’s passionate yet chequered romance saw the couple lock horns on a number of occasions, with Heidi frequently left hurt by his words.
A prevalent accusation from Australian and UK MAFS fans was that Mike ‘gaslit’ Heidi with his words.
After facing many roadblocks during their relationship due to communication, or lack thereof, the pair decided to go their separate ways.
Despite receiving a general warm and positive reaction, the former electrician was criticised for failing to listen to Heidi and for allegedly shutting her down when she tried to broach emotional topics of discussion.
Speaking to 9Honey after his infamous MAFS beach date aired, Mike admitted that he regretted his actions.
‘In that particular moment for some reason I just lost it and I don’t really have a good answer for that,’ he said.
He said several factors influenced his behaviour, including seasickness, dehydration and the fact he had consumed several glasses of champagne.
‘I just became a bit overwhelmed with the subject that we were speaking about and it just wasn’t for me – the time or the place and I was a bit impatient and I don’t know why,’ he said.