Married At First Sight’s Dave Hand has gotten candid about his relationship with wife Jamie Marinos – and what looms ahead as the couple participate in the controversial final challenge.
Dave, who last week admitted that his feelings weren’t progressing as fast as his TV bride’s, sat down for an exclusive chat with Daily Mail Australia to reveal how his father’s illness had impacted his time on the show.
‘Once the cameras are off, you really go back to what’s important in life,’ he shared, adding: ‘I went to some dark places.’
However, after receiving good news about his father’s health during Homestays Week, a weight was lifted off of the groom’s shoulders.
‘I didn’t realise how much it was actually affecting me until then.’
He added: ‘It allowed me to focus on Jamie.’
Last week, after Jamie was met with unrequited feelings from her husband during Feedback Week, she said she didn’t feel Dave was on the show for love.
‘At that moment in time, I don’t believe he was there for the right reasons, because of what was shown to me,’ Jamie told Yahoo Lifestyle on Wednesday.
When asked about how he felt when Jamie questioned his intentions for coming onto the show, Dave said it was ‘pretty disappointing’.
‘I wouldn’t have left the things I had going on at home for a fake time on TV,’ he said.
‘Just because I didn’t feel the feels as much as she would’ve liked… doesn’t mean I wasn’t there for the right reasons.’
He said: ‘I definitely went in with an open heart and an open mind,’ adding: ‘I think I was one of the few who really used the experiment to learn.’
This week, the MAFS participants were thrown into disarray as they were given the opportunity to meet with other potential love matches that the experts had found during the audition process.
Noting that he took Jamie on multiple ‘dates, bottomless brunches’ and ‘improved on the physical touch side’, Dave said the pair were ‘in a really good spot’ leading into the new challenge this week.
But did either of them take the bait?
When asked about the task, which has been described as ‘the most f***ed in the show’s history’, Dave said it highlighted how everyone viewed the assignment differently.
‘People’s values are different,’ he said. ‘For me, I opened the letter and I knew what was up.
He added: ‘I knew my decision.
‘But people have different morals and different reasoning behind their decision, and that’s that’s none of my business,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
While it is not clear whether he is referencing his on-screen wife Jamie, he remained firm on the fact that he was in her corner throughout the experiment.
‘I said in my vows I’d have her back no matter what,’ he said, adding: ‘And I’ve been true to that.’
‘I wasn’t gonna throw her under the bus to the group – that’s my wife.’