Married at First Sight star Steven has posted a message for relationship expert Paul C Brunson after he called him out for his behaviour towards his wife Nelly.
MAFS UK series 10 couple Nelly and Steven started the experiment strong and their chemistry on their wedding day was clear.
But, things have gone badly wrong since then. Nelly injured herself and felt she wasn’t supported by her husband as he chose to go to the pub rather than go home to be with her. The rest of the cast weren’t impressed with this, and when they made that known he ended up in an argument with the group and went off on an explosive rant.
The situation then went from bad to worse when Nelly and Steven had another argument and he ended up referring to as a “f***ing idiot”. They have been struggling to come back from that, and so at last night’s commitment ceremony Paul asked Nelly to say how she was really feeling.
While Nelly opened up about the fact she felt her feelings were minimised, Steven looked annoyed and asked Paul: “Why weren’t my feelings considered in this?” He responded and said: “That is a masterful deflection.” He then firmly told him: “We are talking about your wife right now.”
Paul spoke about what happened on his Instagram page this morning (Wednesday October 15) after the scenes aired last night (Tuesday October 14).
Married at First Sight groom Steven (pictured) was confronted by relationship expert Paul Brunson about his behaviour towards his wife Nelly (pictured). Photo by Channel 4. | Channel 4
Posting a clip of the moment he confronted Steven, he wrote: “I don’t take moments like this lightly. Before I speak up on @e4mafsuk , I pay close attention, because one moment can’t tell a full story. But when a pattern starts to form?
“That’s when I step in. Nelly bravely shared something many people carry, but few say out loud. She felt that her feelings had been minimised, that when she brings up issues, they’re deflected, and that she hasn’t felt emotionally safe. And when that pattern repeated right there, in real time, I took the opportunity to step in.”
He went on: “As experts on MAFS, we’re present to give the couples the tools, space and sometimes hard truths they need to grow both as individuals and in their relationships. My promise to them is to only show up with honesty and care at every opportunity.”
Steven also then took his own Instagram to address the issue a lengthy statement: “We’ve weathered the storms, not to return to who we were, but to grow into who we are meant to be,” he said.
Hinting that he and Nelly may still be together, he added: “Our Marriage didn’t just survive – it deepened, it bloomed & it taught us how to see each other more clearly. Now we look ahead, not with fear of our pasts, but with gratitude for the growth it brought us.”
Speaking directly to Paul, he said: “I’m truly grateful for that moment. I know I clapped back at first, but the clarity you brought me that evening opened my eyes and my heart.
The TV groom went on: “Who I was and who I am now are two very different people. For so long, I built walls to protect myself from vulnerability, shutting out things — and people — who tried to get close. Looking back, I see that up until that point in this journey, I wasn’t fully giving myself to the marriage.
“But now, I’m choosing to show up differently — open, honest, and ready to be vulnerable. Eyes wide open moving forward.”
Viewers left messages of support on the post. “Well done for seeing that something had to change and its a huge step to put that into practice!” “Proud of ya! You got this,” another said.
On her Instagram page, Nelly posted to her Stories to say the episode last night had been a “hard watch”.