MARRIED At First Sight expert Charlene Douglas has responded after the backlash over Eve and Charlie on the show, admitting it was a “difficult watch.”
Eve and Charlie’s marriage was an emotional rollercoaster packed full of rows and trust issues.
And after throwing a dig at Eve earlier this week, Charlie has admitted to The Sun that the former couple no longer speak.
But Eve and Charlie’s relationship has left viewers uncomfortable.
Eve was accused of being a “master manipulator” and for “gaslighting” Charlie, who was shocked that her partner thought she was being a “bully”.
Now, Mafs expert Charlene has had her say.
She said: “It has been really difficult to watch you know.
“I think, as experts, we’re fond of every single contributor, and we want the very best for them, and they all come with their stories, with their past, and it’s not so easy for some of them to rid themselves of their past experiences, or to adopt new behaviours like healthier behaviours in relationships.”
Charlene continued: “And I think what we see with Eve and Charlie is that they tried.
“They really did try, and they had some really lovely moments as well.
“The attraction was there like straight away, but they just couldn’t get past the, I suppose, two different styles of managing conflict.
“For some people they want to deal with it, they want to talk about it, and that’s how they feel resolved, but for others they just shut down.”
Cracks started to show when Eve and Charlie headed off on their honeymoon – which ended in lots of tears, arguments and sleeping in separate rooms.
Their relationship didn’t appear to improve when they got back to the UK – and Eve even refused to move in with Charlie to their new apartment.
Loved-up Tayah Victoria and Adam Aveling of series six fame had the first Mafs baby.
The pair couldn’t keep their hands off each other on the programme and quickly found their feet in the outside world, moving into Adam’s Doncaster home.
Just 18 months after meeting, the couple welcomed their daughter Beau.
Season five couple Michelle Walder and Owen Jenkins also managed to make their marriage work away from the cameras and had their first child in December.
Teacher Michelle, 29, has no regrets about taking part in the experiment. She told us: “I just feel very lucky and thankful that it has worked out – and excited for everything to come.”
Michelle and Owen were both sick of dating apps when they applied in 2019.
Owen recalled: “I had been out for some drinks with a friend after work.
“While he was out for a cigarette I was scrolling on Instagram waiting for him to come back in.
“The MAFS advert was the last thing I saw, and I joked, ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if I signed up?’
“A few beers later when I was back at home I sent in the application, and the rest is history.”
Another couple to make Mafs UK history is Zoe Clifton and Jenna Robinson.
Despite a slight rocky start, where they clashed over Jenna’s vegan lifestyle, the show’s first same sex pairing are still going strong.
They even have a successful podcast together called Life With a Pod.
Jenna shed light on being involved in the show earlier this year when she told us: “We’re not legally married, and I never felt like we were. I definitely feel the process makes you take the relationship a lot more seriously and having the help of the experts… if you can survive that process it sets a firm foundation for a long-lasting relationship.”
Tensions reached boiling point when Charlie revealed that Eve had been listening in on her interview after the dinner party.
Charlie fumed at Eve: “You went into my safe space, put your ear against the door in my interview, that you should not have done.
“You took that upon yourself to do that.
“To listen to my interview, after the dinner party, and got your back up because of an action you took.”
Eve asked: “What did I say?”
“You sat in that room and you glared at me like I had done the worst thing in the world,” Charlie replied.
Eve said: “That’s not true.”
Charlie fumed back: “You literally listened into my safe space, MY interview. You took that upon yourself to do that.”
Eve denied this, prompting a frustrated Charlie to ask: “Why is it always my fault?!
“Take some accountability for the mistakes and issues that you’ve made.”
Eve told Charlie to “stop telling lies”.
Expert Paul Brunson told the pair they were going to get to the bottom of what happened.
Charlie started crying hysterically and expert Charlene Douglas told her to breathe.
Expert Mel Schilling then told the pair: “Eve, with respect, you’ve lied on the couch today.”
The couple left the experiment shortly after.
