The ink has hardly dried on their Married At First Sight Australia wedding certificates, but it appears Jonathan McCullough and Ellie Dix are already part of a couple swap!
Woman’s Day has obtained bombshell images of Sydney businessman Jono, 39, who is currently married to Lauren Dunn, getting intimate among the waves with Kiwi nurse Ellie, 32, who has been partnered with Ben Walters on the reality TV show.
The unlikely new pairing were seen canoodling in plain sight in the water at Palm Beach on the Gold Coast and we’re told they didn’t care who was watching, despite their separate love stories playing out in front of millions of viewers.
The pictures are sure to be a surprise for fans, especially given the fact that Jono’s on-screen wife, Perth food blogger Lauren, 32, has said she wants to keep working on their relationship, despite having doubts about the future of their union.
Even more bizarrely, Ellie – who is originally from New Zealand but now lives on the Gold Coast – recently gave an interview saying, “My eyes were just on Ben… I’m just, like, so grateful to have such a great match. We got along like a house on fire, so my eyes were not straying.”
However, our pictures suggest her peepers have definitely moved on – and insiders suggest Jono has already moved in with Ellie in Queensland!
Rumours of a couple swap emerged two weeks ago, with multiple sources claiming Jono and Ellie began growing close after the show finished filming its final commitment ceremony last October.
In photos posted to Instagram last December, Jono can be seen with his arm wrapped around Ellie at her work Christmas party, while another set of pics show the pair sipping on cocktails at a bar in Melbourne.
Meanwhile, in this week’s episodes, the spotlight is on Newcastle tour guide Ben. Did he apply for MAFS to find love or to gain followers? Even he seems unsure.
“We went on a date off camera to try to build a relationship,” says Ellie. “After a couple of drinks, he started questioning me about why I thought he was there on MAFS. I think my cousin really triggered him and he couldn’t get it out of his mind – he was paranoid.”
On the couple’s wedding day, Ellie’s protective cousin Jordan declared that he believed Ben was on the show to promote his podcast, Get Lost With A Travel Guide, and that his quest to find romance was a sham.
Ellie reveals, “I found out Ben had applied to MAFS multiple times and that he was nearly on The Bachelor. It wasn’t his first rodeo.”
As Ben presses Ellie as to whether she doubts his motives, he ends up mocking her, causing her to walk out. She says, “It was an unreasonable conversation, so I got up and left.”
Ellie then brings up Ben’s intentions at the next dinner party and his fellow participants hound him for answers. She says, “I was really happy my thoughts were being validated by others who were seeing it too because I felt like I was going crazy. It was good that they started questioning him because when I would, I’d get these long, roundabout answers. But he couldn’t escape the group.”
Is it Ben’s intentions that drive Ellie into Jono’s arms? We’ll be waiting with bated breath to find out…