They’re the sweethearts of MAFS, declaring their love early on and making Married at First Sight Australia history by getting engaged at the final vows.
But it seems Cameron Merchant and Jules Robinson‘s fairytale journey might have been too good to be true, with the couple rocked by claims Cam had a secret girlfriend just before he went on the show.
The couple had been on cloud nine with engagement news and talk of starting a family, but hours after the final episode aired, some took to social media in an attempt to tarnish Cam’s image.
“Together with a girl for four years,” wrote an Instagram user. “Applied for MAFS while still in a relationship. Got accepted and left the girl to be part of the show. Grub.”
The woman in question is said to be 30-year-old Tina Ciccio, who works in fashion in Sydney. We’re told the pair dated from 2014 up until August 2018, around the time Cam was asked to be on MAFS.
According to well-placed sources, it was while Cam was out drinking at Manly’s Wharf Bar in August last year, the 35-year-old was approached by a member of the production company to appear on the show. From there Woman’s Day is told he was fast tracked through the audition process.
But while Cam has become something of a people’s champion among viewers and praised for his openness, it appears friends of his reported ex, Tina, are having none of it.
“Is Cam going to finally admit that he was in a committed 4 year relationship when he applied for MAFS? That he filmed auditions and pre interviews while his girlfriend was travelling? That they split up a week before filming the “wedding” to Jules?,” wrote one angry person on a MAFS Facebook fan page.
Another friend claims “it was heartbreaking” for Tina, who only found out their relationship was over “a fortnight before the show went to air.”
While on MAFS, Cam claimed he’d been single for six years after splitting with his last serious partner to focus on his cricketing career. He has declined to comment on the allegations.
A source close to the couple tells, “Between all the dinner parties and ongoing scandals, it was a miracle they made it through unscathed. Now the show’s over, Cam and Jules want to enjoy their well-deserved happiness, not deal with this toxic negativity.”
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