Married At First Sight groom Dave Hand has come to the defence of his co-star Veronica Cloherty, after she was branded a ‘bridezilla’ in recent episodes.
The reality star, who has witnessed Veronica’s journey firsthand, insisted that the controversial bride has been unfairly portrayed, suggesting that editing tricks may be making her look worse than she really is.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Dave weighed in on the debate surrounding Veronica’s on-screen antics and whether she was truly as ‘difficult’ as viewers have been led to believe.
‘I think Veronica’s great. I think this is a really hard… it’s a big TV show to be put on display like this,’ he said.
He went on to explain how the pressures of reality television can skew public perception, hinting that what audiences see may not be the full story.
‘You’ve seen how we got along, and I thought… it makes you really think. I think that her edit is getting chopped and changed, and it must be really rough for her to go through what she’s going through at the moment.’
Veronica has faced intense backlash from MAFS fans, who have criticised her fiery personality and clashes with her on-screen husband Eliot Donovan.
However, Dave’s comments suggest that she may be a victim of clever editing rather than an actual ‘bridezilla’.
His defence of Veronica comes amid growing criticism from former contestants who have spoken out against the show’s editing practices, claiming that producers manipulate storylines for dramatic effect.
Despite the controversy, Veronica has yet to publicly address the accusations that she has been unfairly portrayed.
‘Veronica’s a lot of fun, and so is Eliot. You get to see Eliot come out of his shell as well, and he’s quite funny actually.
‘It was good to see Veronica and Eliot have fun, and they’re great.’
It comes after Dave and Veronica were caught giggling and looking rather cosy in the bed he shares with his bride Jamie when producers entered their room on the final morning of the partner swap challenge.
When asked about her time with Dave, Veronica, a personal trainer, remained vague.
‘Yeah, fine. We get on. So it’s good. I am having a good time. I’m not going to deny that. It’s a stark contrast to my relationship with Eliot,’ she said.
The situation left Jamie reeling, with viewers now wondering if the once-unbreakable couple will survive this latest twist in the experiment.
‘It’s definitely different. Feedback week has given me time to think,’ Dave added.
‘Prior to leaving the apartment, Jamie told me she loved me and I did not say it back.
‘Jamie saying that she loves me sort of put the pressure on me but I don’t move that quick. I had to take the time to think about that,’ he said.
The pair were later seen on a date and tension filled the air as they kept locking eyes and giggling with one another.
‘It’s been good having a little break from it all. It’s nice to chat about it to someone who gets it,’ Veronica told Dave.
‘It can get very intense. You can start to overthink. It’s not easy with Eliot. Maybe I’m not chill enough for him.’
Dave immediately jumped in to talk Veronica up, saying: ‘I’ve only got a little period of time with you but I don’t think that’s true at all. I think you’re pretty easy going.’
The compliment left Veronica blushing as she agreed: ‘I think I am too. I think I’m pretty chill.’
Producers then pulled Veronica aside to question her suddenly bubbly behaviour, which was in stark contrast to her harsh interactions with Eliot.
‘The last few days have been really great. I’m having a great time. Dave’s an attractive person. [We] have a similar sense of humour. He’s ticking a lot of boxes,’ she said.
‘It’s very easy spending time with Dave. He’s attentive, he looks at me when I come into the room. We laugh.’
Dave also sang Veronica her praises, though he appeared to be more careful with his comments about her.
‘Eliot seemed to struggle to get along with Veronica so I was a bit wary of it at the start. She’s actually pretty cool,’ he said.
‘I think Veronica and I are pretty similar. She is a good person. We have good banter.’
But while Dave let loose with bride Veronica, his TV ‘wife’ Jamie was facing a harsh truth back in the hotel with Adrian Araouzou, who she was paired with for the week.
During the Honesty Letter challenge, Jamie confided in Adrian, 30, saying Dave didn’t want to have sex as frequently as she did.
Adrian responded by giving her some harsh advice and suggesting Dave wasn’t physically attracted to her.
‘Adrian doesn’t hold back. He’s pretty much telling me I’m too ugly to root. This is not a nice thought to ponder,’ Jamie later told producers.
‘But at the same time, I appreciate him being honest. And now I have all these questions about Dave and I.’
Later in the episode, Jamie moved back into the room she shares with Dave where tensions between them came to a head.
As Jamie tried to question Dave about why he didn’t want to have sex with her and if he had any feelings for her, he attempted to side-step her queries.
However, after a long while of back and forth, Dave eventually confessed: ‘I feel like sex and all those things are connected to all those feelings.’
‘So then you’re saying we don’t have that much sex because you’re not right in your feels,’ Jamie prompted.
‘I’m not there yet. You’re in a different spot to I am. You said you loved me six weeks into this. I’m not there,’ Dave finally admitted.
Jamie doubled down with, ‘So are we having a lack of sex because we’re not in the love stage?’ to which Dave responded: ‘Yes.’
Married At First Sight continues Sunday at 7pm on Nine and 9Now.