Married At First Sight’s Rhi Disljenkovic and Jeff Gobbels have finally broken their silence on their ongoing feud with fellow bride Jacqui Burfoot.
Rhi, 31, did not hold back when discussing her issues with Jacqui, her alleged secretive messages to Jeff and her attempts to meet up with him alone.
‘I feel like it was blown up a little bit bigger than it really needed to be,’ Rhi told Daily Mail Australia.
‘But I just wanted to express to our friends and family that was the only negative part of our experience. Regarding our relationship, everything was running quite smoothly.’
Meanwhile, Jeff, who had remained relatively quiet about the drama, confirmed what aired on TV was accurate.
‘Yeah, like what you saw on TV is pretty much spot on. Obviously certain things being said at the moment I disagree with, but I know the truth and at the end of the day that’s all that matters to me,’ he said.
The controversy stemmed from Jacqui’s apparent persistence in contacting Jeff privately, something Rhi took issue with.
‘Yes, we brought up that I didn’t like the fact that she wanted to catch up with Jeff without me there. That was my main issue. But it just kept getting bigger and bigger than it needed to be,’ Rhi explained.
Jeff added that despite claims made by Jacqui, he and Rhi never inserted themselves into her relationship with Ryan Donnelly.
‘There’s been a few comments made that we kept dragging their relationship, putting ourselves into their drama – which is a lie. We stayed completely out of it. It was them continuously bringing us into it,’ he explained.
Has Jacqui Apologised?
According to Rhi, Jacqui did offer an apology at one of the dinner parties.
‘That was the first time I think she apologised and I said, “That’s fine.” But then the commitment ceremony came around and obviously you express how your week has been, so I did bring it up again. That was just to keep the experts informed,’ she said.
But despite trying to move on, Rhi said Jacqui continued to drag her into unnecessary drama.
‘Seeing the things that Jacqui is writing at the moment is almost laughable because I have a whole cast that will back me up and know that I was never a bully. I never commented negatively on her appearance, I never slut-shamed her. I never put her relationship down,’ she added.
Rhi and Jeff’s Romance Heats Up
Despite the ongoing drama, Rhi and Jeff’s relationship has been steadily progressing, with the couple finally taking the next step in their intimacy.
‘Sex changes things. It can change things for the better or for the worse, but for us it definitely changed things for the better,’ Rhi shared candidly.
Jeff agreed, adding that they had taken things at their own pace.
‘With our journey so far in the experiment, we really threw ourselves into it. That was a conversation Rhi and I had earlier on. We just said, “Let’s give this a red hot crack, and if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.” But so far, it’s paying dividends.’
Rhi admitted she initially didn’t expect to move past the ‘friend zone’ with Jeff.
‘I thought it wasn’t going to progress to sleeping together – not so quickly. I guess we did take a little while, but yeah I just thought my feelings might’ve been a little bit different. It was a pleasant surprise.’
Jeff added that the pressure of the experiment didn’t push them to rush intimacy.
‘We took our time. We made sure our foundations were solid before taking that big leap forward. Some other couples rushed into it and it set them back so I’m really glad we didn’t.’
Tension at Upcoming Dinner Parties
As tensions continue to rise among the cast, Jeff and Rhi have hinted that they will be at the centre of some major drama at an upcoming dinner party.
‘We’ve been very vocal the whole way through the experiment, calling out bad behaviour that we didn’t agree with. This Wednesday is no different,’ Rhi revealed.
Jeff confirmed that fellow groom Adrian Araouzou will be in their sights this time around.
‘From what we could all see with the Adrian and Awhina situation, Rhi and I have a few words for Adrian this week.’
Married At First Sight continues Sunday at 7pm on Channel Nine