This season of Married at First Sight Australia has been filled with more drama than you can shake a stick at.
There was Sam Ball’s controversial disappearance from his honeymoon, ditching his bride Elizabeth to attend the funeral of his ex-girlfriend’s mother. Not done, he then followed it up with an illicit affair with Ines Basic.
Then came the allegation that Nic had made a move on Jessika, news that resulted in an explosive fight between Cyrell and Martha in which producers had to physically restrain the pair. And then, of course, there was Jess and Dan’s affair.
But it seems that all of the drama was nothing compared to the final reunion episode, when the truth about Jessika power is finally exposed for the whole group to see.
Since Jess and Dan embarked on their affair it’s been anything but smooth sailing for the pair.
After striking up a relationship behind their on-screen partners’ backs, the controversial couple finally told the truth about their liaison and were allowed to re-enter the experiment as a couple.
They survived the backlash from their co-stars and awkwardly confessed their love for each other at the final dinner party, before committing to a future together at their final vows ceremony.
However, life since then has been far from bliss. Dan has told TV WEEK that he and Jessika split up after the reunion episode, where the group was shown footage of Jess hitting on fellow groom Nic – something she had always denied doing, even when Dan asked her directly.
Watch: Jess propositions Nic. Article continues below.
“I felt betrayed,” Dan, 35, says of seeing the footage. “I always had a gut feeling something wasn’t right, I really did. Something didn’t add up. I was upset.
“I was in love with this girl, and to see that unfold on TV in front of the group, I felt like I was played for a fool.”
Dan says he called off the relationship because he just couldn’t trust her. “After the experiment, we did part ways for a bit,” he admits.
“Coming out of the reunion was difficult for me and I lost a lot of trust for her. I needed time for myself and I said to her, ‘Look, I need a break.'”
Jess and Dan confirmed their commitment to each other at the final vows.
While Dan says he and Jess are back together now, they’re taking things slowly – and he has no plans to introduce his girlfriend to his four-year-old son just yet.
“There’s stuff I have to ask before I get into a full-time relationship,” he says. “I need to make sure I have these questions answered and feel 100 per cent trust for her.
“I’m sure she has trust issues with me too, because we did both go behind our partner’s backs to establish our relationship. And if we can do it to our partners, why not to each other?
“And for me, I’m not going to introduce my son to a girl unless I have that 100 per cent trust. I don’t want him to see that. I don’t think it’s healthy.”
It’s not the end of the trouble for their fledgling relationship, as Dan is facing jail time over his alleged involvement in a multi-million dollar telemarketing scam.
Dan was charged with aggravated fraud in 2016 ago along with six others, accused of taking money from 600 innocent Queenslanders after duping them into becoming directors of 12 fake companies, and asking them to pay up to $200 to road-test betting and investment software.
“There’s every chance he’s going behind bars soon,” a family friend of Dan’s told Woman’s Day. “The word is he might go inside for around six months and that’s really going to put pressure on his new relationship with Jess.”
According to reports, Dan is currently on bail and has to report to authorities on a weekly basis. His next court date is scheduled for May 3.
