Married At First Sight producers will honour Dr. Trisha Stratford following her shock death when the series returns on January 29.
Despite her controversial departure from the show in 2019, Channel Nine will pay homage to her legacy in the new season, according to Yahoo Lifestyle.
Sources close to the production revealed the deep sense of loss felt by the show’s co-stars and producers.
‘No one was more shocked by the news of Trisha’s passing than John Aiken and Mel Schilling and they both wanted their former colleague and friend to be acknowledged,’ said the insider.
Aiken, who worked closely with Trisha throughout her tenure on the show, was reportedly unaware of the extent of her health struggles.
‘John had made the first seven seasons of MAFS with her and yet knew very little about her health struggle,’ the source said.
The source added that the tribute is a necessary addition and fans would be angry if it was not included.
‘It would really be making a statement if they don’t include her in the first episode. Fans of the show would be disappointed and not to mention John and Mel would feel cheated,’ the insider said.
Aiken announced Trisha’s death at the age of 72 on September 19.
‘I’m heartbroken and devastated that my friend and dear colleague Trisha has passed away,’ he announced on Instagram at her passing.
‘We shared an amazing seven seasons of MAFS together. She loved everything New Zealand, relationships, the All Blacks, the Black Caps, French wine and travelling the world.
‘I’ll miss you Tish. Thank you for all the memories.’
Aitken appeared on the Today show to share his fondest memories of working with the neuro-psychotherapist, telling co-hosts Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo th at Trisha was an ‘amazing woman’ and a ‘voice of reason’ on-set.
‘Nothing could really rattle her. She was always the smartest person in the room when I was around her. The MAFS participants would throw things at her [and] she was fine,’ a visibly emotional Aitken said.
‘You’d flirt with her on the set, you know, and she’d just shrug it off,’ he quipped.
When asked about the cause of death, Aitken said he wanted to respect the wishes of Trisha and her family by keeping this information private.
‘Although she was on Australasia’s number one show, and also went around the world, she was also quite a private person and she had a lot of integrity,’ he said.
Trisha’s impressive achievements include being a single mother to three girls while maintaining an impressive career.
She was also the first ever sports journalist in New Zealand, and later became a war correspondent before retraining to become a clinical neuro-psychotherapist.
Channel 9 said in a statement at the time of her death: ‘We are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Dr Trisha Stratford.
‘Our sincerest condolences and heartfelt sympathies go out to her family and those closest during this difficult time.’
During her time on the show, Trisha was known for her ‘pheromones test’ and for asking participants whether they had been ‘intimate’ with each other.
She was part of the line-up for seven seasons, and announced in 2020 that she was stepping back ahead of the eighth season.
‘After seven seasons of Married At First Sight I have decided to step back from the television series to focus on my writing, research and neuropsychotherapy,’ Trisha said in a statement at the time.
In early 2021, Trisha also came forward to launch a scathing attack on the controversial reality series, claiming that it left her feeling ‘sick’.
‘By the end, I couldn’t compromise my professional and personal standards because there were participants on the show who I felt shouldn’t have been there,’ she told Woman’s Day New Zealand.