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Distressing twist in sudden death of former MAFS groom

<p>Just days after the shocking death of former <em>Married At First Sight NZ</em> contestant Andrew Jury, shocking new details have emerged about his final weeks before his <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/health/caring/married-at-first-sight-groom-dies-at-just-33" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passing</a>. </p> <p>The 33-year-old Auckland-based builder passed away in recent weeks, as his untimely death was announced by two of his former <em>MAFS</em> contestants on Sunday.</p> <p>Now, Jury's father Roy confirmed to the <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/married-at-first-sight-nz-groom-andrew-jury-dies/47OQFBCORZHARPILFOEA65N7SE/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>New Zealand Herald</em></a> that his son was on remand in Mt Eden Corrections Facility prison at the time of his death. </p> <p>Andrew had been just hours from a scheduled court appearance, where he was facing charges that included “assault with intent to injure, wilful damage and possession of an offensive weapon.”</p> <p>His father also told the publication that he’d been worried about his son’s mental state ahead of his court hearing, adding that his family were “bewildered” and “deeply saddened” by the tragic turn of events.</p> <p>Roy said that his son had been arrested on April 2nd and had told his relatives he was “struggling” in prison.</p> <p>“It should have been a red flag when Andy stopped communicating with family and friends,” he told the outlet.</p> <p>Andrew's death was announced by former <em>MAFS NZ</em> stars Brett and Angel Renall, and Benjamin Blackwell who wrote a joint statement to the <em>New Zealand Herald</em> to break the news of his passing. </p> <p>“It’s with the heaviest hearts we’ve come together to acknowledge the passing of Andrew Jury,” they said. “We had the absolute pleasure of filming and participating in a show which leaves us intricately linked for a lifetime."</p> <p>“Despite his struggles, Andrew was always friendly and the life of the party during our shared experience, and he really valued his time on the show."</p> <p>“At this time, our entire cast wishes to send our deepest condolences and love to his family.”</p> <p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><em>Image credits: Instagram </em></p>

Legal

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“It’s really dangerous”: Former MAFS star's jarring claims about show

<p>A former participant of Nine’s <em>Married At First Sight</em> has appeared on a rival network to drop some jarring claims about the reality TV show.</p> <p>Tayla Winter, who was paired up with Hugo Armstrong on the series left <em>Sunrise</em> hosts David Kochie and Natalie Barr in disbelief with her chilling warning about how “dangerous” and “scary” the format is for the participants.</p> <p>Winter 27, explained how she had expected “a really fun experience” going into it.</p> <p>“I thought I’d meet a lot of people, we could party in Sydney – I was on a bit of a break from work – and potentially meet someone that was really nice,” she said.</p> <p>“For me, the worst case scenario in my head was, I still come out with a lot of friends. I could never have imagined what it was actually like.”</p> <p>Barr then asked her whether she’d “warn people not to go on MAFS” in the future.</p> <p>“I think it’s really dangerous,” Winter responded.</p> <p>“I know that some of my castmates are really struggling.</p> <p>“I’ve been struggling … I hope that people just understand what it’s really like and that’s why I’m trying to spread a bit of awareness about it because … I truly believe someone will end their life over this show one day.”</p> <p>Her response clearly stunned Barr, who then told her, “Oh, wow, that’s a serious claim. We’re sorry that happened to you.”</p> <p>Winter’s relationship with Armstrong saw some of the most dramatic scenes on the 2023 season of <em>MAFS</em>, with the bride storming out of a commitment ceremony and declaring she was going back to (Tasmania) after a heated conversation with her TV partner.</p> <p>The abrupt exit came after Armstrong allegedly called Winter the “C-word” during a vulgar spat which was overheard in an accidental “butt dial”.</p> <p>Winter eventually returned to the experiment to give him “a second chance,” but was rejected by Armstrong and the couple announced their split to their castmates that night.</p> <p>Winter told <em>Sunrise</em> that she was given “a bad edit” which had left her vulnerable to constant online trolling and abuse.</p> <p>“The way the (editing) is done is unethical,” she told the hosts.</p> <p>“Going into the show, I had no idea how controlled it would be. There is a lot of manipulation and coercive control and it’s pretty scary once you’re over there (on set).</p> <p>“You’re not in your home state, you’re surrounded by all of these camera crews, all these people you don’t know.</p> <p>“It’s quite intimidating and you say and do things under a really high-pressure environment.</p> <p>“You quickly regret those things that you do and that you said.”</p> <p>When Barr highlighted that reality shows are renowned for being heavily edited, Winter hit back with bold claims about producers.</p> <p>“You build trust and what you think is a really strong relationship with (producers) and it’s all fake,” she said.</p> <p>“There’s a lot of pressure to say things and do things that you don’t feel comfortable with.</p> <p>“I slept on the couch the entire time throughout the experiment and it wasn’t seen that Hugo had the bed.</p> <p>“But they needed that narrative to suit what character they wanted from me and what character they wanted from Hugo.”</p> <p>A spokesperson from Nine informed news.com.au that the network takes its duties concerning the “health and wellbeing” of the show’s participants “extremely seriously”.</p> <p>“All participants have access to the show psychologist during filming, during broadcast and once the program has ended,” they said.</p> <p>“Nine also have an additional service for participants should they like or need further individual and confidential psychological support.</p> <p>“This service gives participants access to clinicians who have been specifically engaged to support those involved in the program in relation to their experiences. This service is available to all participants for as long as they need it, it does not end.</p> <p>“Nine provides all participants with ongoing support for the duration of the show and we monitor all participant’s social media accounts so that we are aware of and manage any negative commentary. We are very proactive in this space, and care for the health and wellbeing of the participants.</p> <p>“As a result of the level of interest in the participant’s personal lives and volume of commentary on every post, Nine manages all individual MAFS social accounts with their permission, as an extra measure of protecting them from negativity.”</p> <p><em>Image credit: Instagram</em></p>

TV

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"Yeehaaa": Olympic champ Emily Seebohm flashes engagement ring

<p><em>Married At First Sight’s</em> Ryan Gallagher has announced his engagement to Olympic swimmer Emily Seebohm.</p> <p>The news comes just three months after the couple confirmed their relationship on social media.</p> <p>Sharing the news of the engagement on Instagram, Ryan posted a picture of Emily flaunting her new ring with the caption, "Yeehaaa ❤️”.</p> <p>The post was flooded with congratulatory messages and well wishes from friends and fans.</p> <p>Ryan, 34, proposed to Emily at a dam on his farm just outside of Golbourn in NSW.</p> <p>"I thought it was the right spot to do it – she loves the horses and she often swims in the dam," he told <a href="https://www.nowtolove.com.au/celebrity/celeb-news/ryan-gallagher-emily-seebohm-engagement-76958" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Woman's Day</a>.</p> <p>"I did get nervous though. The box was making a bit of a bulge in my pocket. So either she knew I was proposing or she just thought I was happy to see her.”</p> <p>Ryan proposed to Emily with a trilogy diamond that features two small diamonds, symbolising Emma and himself, while the central diamond represents their love.</p> <p>The pair met while competing on Network 10’s The Challenge Australia in 2022, although Emily had a partner at the time.</p> <p>"Obviously it wasn't a nice call to make, but I told him what was going on and that there was something there with Ryan and I didn't see the point in wasting any more time." she said.</p> <p>The couple first went public with their relationship in December 2022.</p> <p>Emily broke the news of the engagement to followers by sharing an image of the two, paired with the caption, "Letting you in on a little secret."</p> <p>It seems as though Ryan and Emily’s chemistry is undeniable with many friends and co-stars commenting that they saw the relationship coming.</p> <p>"We all knew wasn't a secret 😜 called it after week 1," MAFS' Cyrell Paule commented.</p> <p>"I called this and honestly the most humble two people that bounce off each other .” one fan wrote.</p> <p>The pair are yet to announce a date and location for the wedding.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Instagram</em></p>

Relationships

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“The guy's a flop”: Kyle’s feud with David Campbell erupts

<p>Kyle Sandilands’ feud with <em>Today Extra</em>’s David Campbell has been well documented over the years, though it’s doubtful that many had ‘a blow up over a fake marriage scandal’ on their 2023 bingo list. </p> <p>David Campbell has recently come under fire for comments he made during an interview with<em> Married at First Sight</em>’s Jesse Bumford. David probed Jesse about his role in the cheating scandal between his ‘wife’ and another of the show’s grooms, and went so far as to suggest Jesse was partially responsible for the infidelity.</p> <p>Kyle, like many viewers across Australia, believed David’s take left a lot to be desired. But Kyle, who has not been shy about his feelings for David in the past, wasn’t content to leave it at that.</p> <p>While chatting to <em>KIIS FM</em> co-host Jackie O on their show, Kyle declared David to be a “flop” who “never has anyone’s back”. He confessed to his surprise at David’s approach to the interview, having decided that <em>MAFS</em> groom Jesse seemed like a “nice bloke” with the public behind him. Kyle then suggested that David had immediately sided with Jesse’s ‘wife’, Claire, to appeal to the “woke” crowd. </p> <p>Jackie O seemed to share Kyle’s sentiments, agreeing that David had behaved like a “smug d**”. </p> <p>“That's what David Campbell is like,” Kyle vented. “David Campbell reads a headline somewhere, believes it to be 100 per cent true, does no research, and forms a very stupid and immature opinion because that's what that type of person does.</p> <p>“Then [he] runs around trying to protect everyone with no real details. The guy's a flop. I've never liked him.”</p> <p>He then admitted that while he likes David’s <em>Today Extra</em> co-host Sylvia Jeffreys, he can’t stomach watching the show because David makes him “physically sick to look at.” </p> <p>“This is his way of pumping himself up so he's a woke hero,” he surmised, “and no one likes that.”</p> <p>Brookyln Ross, newsreader for <em>KIIS FM</em>, suggested that David - who should be aware of <em>MAFS'</em> heavy editing and early filming dates - had no excuse for his actions. Jackie O followed up on the thought, wondering if David had even bothered watching past the first few episodes of the show. </p> <p>“I feel like he has seen the first episodes but has not watched the recent ones,” she mused. “He thought he was doing what the public wanted by attacking Jesse, and not realising, ‘dude, this isn't the way to go’.” </p> <p>“He's out of date,” Kyle stated. “This is what David Campbell does. This guy doesn't actually have his own opinion. He always does what he thinks people would like, but he really has zero personality.”</p> <p><em>Images: Getty </em></p>

TV

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Richard Wilkins all but confirms long-standing TV rumour

<p>Richard Wilkins has quite abruptly revealed and all but confirmed a long-standing TV rumour while speaking on Nova’s Fitzy &amp; Wippa on Tuesday morning – and that is that there appears to be a largely celebrity version of Married At First Sight in the works.</p> <p>The veteran Today showbiz reporter confirmed that Nine has been workshopping a celebrity iteration of the show when he said, "[Former Nine CEO] David Gyngell once said to me, ‘Mate, I’ll give you … I won’t mention the amount of money, but a lot of zeros ... if you do Celebrity Married At First Sight.”</p> <p>While Wilkins did not elaborate further, it remains unknown when he was offered the lucrative opportunity. Nine is yet to confirm plans for a star-studded version of the smash hit dating series, however leaked texts from MAFS expert John Aiken from 2020 sent the rumour mill into overdrive.</p> <p>The Instagram DMs showed Aiken messaging a mystery contestant named ‘Reece’, in which he wrote: “Hi Reece. As you know by now from our email conversation you will not be the only celebrity on MAFS 2021. We are currently trying to figure out if we want celebrity marrying a celebrity for the season or celebrities paired up with strangers on the outside.”</p> <p>This year’s season, which won the 7:30 pm slot every night, absolutely blitzed ratings, recording a national average audience of 1.9 million viewers per episode.</p> <p>It only makes sense that Nine wants to expand the franchise after the finale which aired last month became the highest rating non-sports program, with a national average audience of 2.3 million.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

TV

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63 and still got it! Sunrise host David Koch steps out in style for movie premiere

<p>Sunrise host David Koch appeared in high spirits as he attended the <em>Fast &amp; Furious: Hobbs &amp; Shaw</em> Australian premiere.</p> <p>The 63-year-old was smartly dressed in a checked button up shirt and navy blazer. He finished the look with khaki pants and brown dress shoes.</p> <p>He appears to have moved on from the “elbowgate” incident with <em>Married at First Sight’s</em> Martha Kalifatidis, where Kochie claimed he was elbowed by Martha on the Logies red carpet.</p> <p>The outing comes after Martha’s MAFS co-star Cyrell Paule told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-7305567/Sunrise-host-David-Koch-attends-Fast-Furious-Sydney-premiere.html" target="_blank"><em>The Kyle and Jackie O Show</em></a> that she did elbow him.</p> <p>Jackie O started off the conversation by saying that “Kochie claims that Martha elbowed him out of the way to get to the cameras and the photographers.”</p> <p>Cyrell said that she believes it happened.</p> <p>“You know what, I don't even know Kochie but I know her as a person and I believe him straight away,” responded Cyrell.</p> <p>“Anything with [camera] lenses and that girl would be running up.”</p> <p>Other Aussie celebrities that were in attendance at the event included Johnny Ruffo, Richard Wilkins and Kerri-Anne Kennerley.</p> <p>Ruffo went for a pop of colour with a bright yellow baseball cap, a “back to the future” jumper, black jeans and white, red and blue Nike's.</p> <p>Wilkins kept it classy by rugging up and wearing all black, even including his shoes.</p> <p>Kennerley turned heads in a bright pink ruffled shirt and sparkly skirt with silver gladiator style high heels.</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery above to see the Aussie star’s outfits on the night.</p>

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