Married At First Sight’s Stephen Stewart has broken his silence after his ill-fated ‘marriage’ to Michael Felix ended during Sunday’s episode.
From accusations of flirting to a deep-seated lack of connection, their union seemed doomed from the start.
The Perth-based hairdresser, 26, offered an unfiltered perspective on the events that led to their breakup and the challenges they faced as a same-sex couple.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Stephen acknowledged the absence of a real spark that could sustain their relationship.
The lack of chemistry between Stephen and Michael became glaringly obvious as they struggled to find common ground.
Married At First Sight Stephen Stewart, 26, (pictured) has broken his silence after his ill-fated ‘marriage’ to Michael Felix ended during Sunday’s episode
The Perth-based hairdresser, 26, offered an unfiltered perspective on the events that led to their breakup and the challenges they faced as a same-sex couple going on the dating show during an interview with Daily Mail Australia
“We didn’t have anything to bond over… Every interaction, it just didn’t flow and it was hard work,” Stephen shared.
Stephen admitted he felt pressured when he found out he was a last-minute replacement after Michael’s original match, Simon Flocco, left the show.
‘When I found out I wasn’t Michael’s original match, I was brought in to fill the void, that’s when I started pulling away,’ he revealed.
“We didn’t have anything to bond over… Every interaction, it just didn’t flow and it was hard work,” Stephen shared
“I was like, ‘Oh God, I can see there’s no chemistry here’. Anyone who knows me and anyone who met us could see that it wasn’t a good match in communication styles and just shared interests. ‘
“It made me think they just put us here because they needed the gay couple, which was kind of nasty,” he said.
The pressure to conform to a predetermined narrative took its toll, adding an extra layer of complexity to their already fraught relationship.
The pressure to conform to a predetermined narrative took its toll, adding an extra layer of complexity to their already fraught relationship
“As things progressed and I realized that there’s nothing here and it’s not going to grow, I definitely felt the pressure from the producers to stay,” he explained.
‘You can’t just leave. It has to make sense to the viewers. There’s a story that we have to follow, so after that I definitely felt like they put a lot of pressure on because they were disappointed.’
‘And to be fair, they were disappointed that me and Michael didn’t work out, but I don’t think they were disappointed because they thought we were a really good match.
‘I think they were disappointed because they really wanted it to work for Michael. So yes, it has definitely increased the pressure for me.’
“As things progressed and I realized that there’s nothing here and it’s not going to grow, I definitely felt the pressure from the producers to stay,” he explained.
Stephen recalled the defining moment when he realized the relationship was unaffordable after a flirtatious encounter with his hairdresser.
“I pointed out to Michael that I felt more connected to the hairdresser in the 30 seconds of talking while I was getting my hair done then I have the whole experiment with him,” he admitted.
“And for me, it was once I realized that and I knew what our relationship was lacking, I felt like I couldn’t stay here and give all this anymore because I wanted to lie.”
‘I told him and I told the producers I was like, “I’m done, there’s nothing here, it won’t, we’ve got heaps of exercises from the experts to try”.
Stephen recalled the defining moment when he realized the relationship was unaffordable after a flirtatious encounter with his hairdresser.
After the flirting scandal, the couple were unable to reach a resolution, leaving the future of their relationship in doubt
Stephen and Michael ‘no longer friends’
While Stephen and Michael initially maintained a friendship after the breakup, recent developments have strained their relationship.
“It’s really only recently that we stopped talking,” Stephen revealed, expressing disappointment at the dissolution of their once close bond.
Despite their shared experiences, Stephen laments the effect of outside pressure on their friendship.
While Stephen and Michael initially maintained a friendship after the breakup, recent developments have strained their relationship
‘Of course I think it’s reliving a lot of this. I thought we had a really good relationship where we’d see each other just as the months went on, but that kind of disappeared as the storylines went on, which is, yeah, really disappointing,’ he revealed.
‘Of course I think it’s reliving a lot of this. I thought we had a really good relationship where we’d see each other just as the months went on, but it kind of faded away as the stories went on, which is, yeah, really disappointing,’ he revealed.
“I think I know what happened, he knows what happened, the other contributors on the show know what happened,” Stephen continued.
“But for him to go with the narrative of the story that the show is projecting and let it affect our friendship, it’s really hurtful, because like I said, we both lived it. We both know what really went on.”