Married At First Sight bride Ashleigh Ackerman has hinted she could make a return to the reality show after her tumultuous short-lived marriage to groom Jake Luik.
The Gold Coast-based dance studio owner, 34, had high hopes for the social experiment but was left blindsided when Jake abruptly called it quits during Monday’s episode, effectively cutting short their televised marriage.
Now, Ashleigh has revealed she would consider giving the experiment another shot—under one key condition.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail Australia, Ashleigh admitted she wouldn’t rule out a comeback if she was guaranteed a love story like fellow participants Jamie and Dave.
‘That’s a tricky one,’ she said.
‘I had such an amazing, fun, exciting, whirlwind experience. I wouldn’t change a thing. Would I go on again? I mean, if I was guaranteed to have a beautiful Jamie and Dave kind of vibe—a ‘Damey’—I would do it in a heartbeat.’
However, Ashleigh acknowledged how challenging the process was, particularly the lack of control over how her match would behave.
‘You can’t control what your partner says and does and who they are as a person. It’s definitely something I would think twice about,’ she said.
Despite the disappointment of her short-lived marriage on the show, Ashleigh remains optimistic about her future and is ready to embrace new romantic possibilities.
She admitted one of her hopes in signing up for MAFS was that even if her on-screen match failed, the right man might still notice her from afar.
‘I was open-minded that someone out there is going to see me and go, “Oh, that’s the girl of my dreams” and cut to the chase. I’m done wasting time. I really do want a family and a solid partnership,’ she said.
While the dating apps aren’t for her, she encourage admirers to approach her in person.
‘I’m not savvy with the dating apps and texting. I’m so busy with my own life that my thumbs are about to fall off at the moment! But if anyone sees me out and about and thinks “She’s lovely” please feel free to approach me. I’m always keen for a chat and a laugh.’
No Contact with Jake
As for where she stands with Jake, Ashleigh revealed they haven’t spoken since their exit from the show.
‘From the second that it fell apart, I haven’t heard anything. But in saying that, I’ve also made no effort to reach out,’ she admitted.
‘If someone was really interested in me, I wouldn’t have to chase it like that.’
Reflecting on their brief time together, Ashleigh suggested she may have put Jake’s comfort ahead of her own enjoyment of the experiment.
‘I really did try and sit myself back and let him feel as safe as possible, but in the process, I was diminishing my own experience. I was putting his experience before my own,’ she said.
Ashleigh also expressed disappointment over how quickly her journey on MAFS was cut short, believing things could have turned around with more time and expert guidance.
‘It was gone in the blink of an eye. The shock of all the effort and time and the emotional process you put into just getting into the experiment—it was a little bit disappointing to have it ripped away so quickly,’ she added.
She specifically pointed to the infamous photo ranking task, saying it could have provided a crucial turning point if Jake had been willing to reflect and take accountability.
‘It really would have given him an opportunity to take a bit of accountability and just apologise, and everyone would have moved on,’ she said.
‘It wasn’t like he did something heinous, but he never really gave it that chance either to even take the experts’ advice on board and grow from it.’
Married At First Sight continues Wednesday at 7.30pm on Channel Nine