MARRIED At First Sight expert Charlene Douglas has hit back at Richelle and said she is “sad” the bride has slammed the show.
Charlene, 43, has exclusively told The Sun she is baffled by Richelle’s treatment towards her husband Orson and admitted she is “shocked” by her comments about MAFS.
Richelle tore into the E4 show this week after coming under fire by angry fans for the way she has behaved around Orson.
Viewers were horrified to see her bluntly urging Orson to “get over” his past heartache, which left him in tears.
Richelle walked out of their honeymoon in explosive scenes after suggesting the former cricketer and project engineer – who models and acts in his spare time – was playing out a narrative.
And this week, as she came under fire, Richelle accused show bosses of ‘editing out’ vital scenes to explain her treatment of her husband.
Speaking to The Sun, Charlene has now given her frank opinion about the couple and Richelle’s furious outburst.
Charlene tells us: “I have to say with Orson and Richelle I think, even now, I’m not fully sure what that’s all about.
“If I’m honest I do feel like, if someone is still triggered by a past relationship, the kind thing to do would be to meet them where they are emotionally and to be there for them.
“I don’t know if Richelle maybe saw other things in Orson that we weren’t privy to that kind of made her feel like, ‘This man isn’t very honest’.
“I didn’t see that. I saw in Orson someone that’s very kind, very honest, very transparent but we’re not with them 24/7 so I can’t be sure.
“But it felt sad. I’m not going to lie, it did feel sad for me that Richelle made some of those comments.”
This week, Richelle took to Instagram and responded to a fan who asked: “Is there something we aren’t seeing between Richelle and Orson?
“That woman is so harsh on Orson and I do not see why.”
Richelle replied: “Yes there’s a lot you’re not seeing behind tonight and previous edit that I will address to comments on this post…tomorrow!”
She later accused Orson of trying to recouple with another bride, adding: “People will see the truth. It’s a waiting game.”
But Richelle then deleted her claims and turned off her comments.
Before her remarks vanished, Charlene added: “To be fair, on social media, I’ve seen that she has stuck by her guns with certain things but she has also said that maybe she could’ve said some things a bit differently.
“There were definitely some shocking moments in that conversation.”
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.”
Richelle and Orson’s marriage got off to a flying start on their wedding day, with them both believing they had met their match.
However, things soon hit the skids during their honeymoon and her later addressing his past heartache without any compassion.
Richelle bluntly said to upset Orson: “What do you think your boys are going [to think] when you’re sitting on TV crying about being cheated on five years ago?”
Since then, the couple have been visited by Richelle’s pal Janey, who asked Orson “My worry is, is this all a facade? Are you trying to be famous?”
