John Joe “JJ” Slater, a familiar face from the 2023 series of Married At First Sight (MAFS) on E4, has opened up about his surprisingly limited connections from the show. Despite the intense bonding that often comes with the reality TV experience, JJ admits he only stays in touch with two of his co-stars, Luke Worley and Terence Edwards, leaving fans wondering if his high-profile romance with Katie Price has left him isolated from the rest of the cast.
In a candid interview with The Sun, JJ revealed that while he’s part of a group chat with the male contestants from his MAFS season, the once-lively conversation has fizzled out. “Not on a basis where we would message and check in with each other, apart from with Luke and with Terence,” JJ shared. “There is a boys’ group chat with all the boys in there. It’s pretty quiet now. It was lively at first, but now it’s just like, happy birthdays. Or if someone’s going out, they’ll be like, ‘I’m here, if anyone fancies a beer,’ stuff like that. But on a day-to-day basis, no.”
JJ’s comments come hot on the heels of his headline-making romance with former glamour model Katie Price, a relationship that has stirred up plenty of drama. The couple was recently spotted jetting off to Türkiye for matching cosmetic surgeries, further cementing their bond in the public eye. However, JJ’s journey to this point has been anything but smooth, marked by emotional twists and turns both on and off the MAFS set.
When JJ first appeared on Married At First Sight, he was paired with Bianca Petronzi. However, it quickly became clear that the spark just wasn’t there. Instead, JJ found himself drawn to another contestant, Ella Morgan, who made history as the show’s first transgender female participant. Their chemistry was undeniable, and after forming a connection, they returned to the series as a couple. But despite their initial spark, the relationship couldn’t withstand the pressures of reality TV and public scrutiny, and the pair parted ways.
The fallout didn’t end there. JJ’s subsequent relationship with Katie Price, a mother of five and former glamour model known as Jordan in her heyday, raised eyebrows—especially for Ella. The two women had struck up a friendship during the show, making JJ’s new romance a surprising and somewhat bitter pill for Ella to swallow.
In an emotional interview on relationship expert Paul C. Brunson’s podcast We Need To Talk earlier this year, Ella opened up about the hurt she felt over JJ’s new relationship. “It does make me laugh because you say I’m crazy, and I love Katie, but you’re with her now?” Ella remarked, reflecting on the irony. “I just wasn’t the right person for him. We haven’t had any contact since the show.”
Ella admitted that moving on from JJ was no easy feat. “I haven’t seen him since the show. We were texting before the vow renewals, and I knew he wasn’t feeling it. I didn’t get over JJ for, I’d say, a good six to eight months,” she shared. “I’m fully over him now, and I wish him the best. I wish Katie the best. If they’re happy, they’re happy.”
Reflecting on why their romance didn’t last, Ella pointed to deeper issues. “Looking back, was there that emotional connection? I think there was a lot of fancying and being sexually attracted to someone,” she said. “Sometimes when there were no cameras, he said I was too loud for him. He said I’d go out for drinks and then take out my anger on him.” Ella also suggested that JJ’s concerns about public perception and how his friends and family would view their relationship—particularly given her identity as a transwoman—played a role in their breakup. “He was worried about how the public would portray him and what his friends and family would think,” she added.
Ella didn’t shy away from acknowledging her own shortcomings during their time together. “I wasn’t the nicest, and I think I was a hurt person, and hurt people hurt people, and that’s what I did,” she admitted. Her honesty sheds light on the complexities of their dynamic, one that was intensified by the pressures of being in the public eye.
For JJ, life after MAFS has taken him in a new direction with Katie Price, but it seems to have come at the cost of his connections with most of his former co-stars. With only Luke and Terence remaining as close contacts, it’s clear that the reality TV spotlight can burn as brightly as it fades. As JJ navigates his high-profile romance and the fallout from his time on MAFS, fans are left wondering: has the drama left him isolated, or is he simply prioritizing the relationships that matter most?