Her romance with Married at First Sight Australia husband Mike Gunner was rocky, to say the least. In the end, all the chemistry in the world couldn’t save them from the fact that they just didn’t see eye to eye.
Despite pledging their commitment to each other at the final vows and giving things a real shot, with Heidi moving to the Gold Coast to be with Mike – the wheels soon fell off and we watched with sadness at the reunion episode where Mike tearfully admitted that even though they couldn’t make things work, he still loved Heidi.
Watch: Mike admits he still loves Heidi. Article continues below.
While Mike didn’t sit around pining for too long – moving on with a number of different women – Heidi remained steadfastly single as the show played out on air, months after their relationship came to an end.
She told the MAFS spinoff show Talking Married that she felt like she was re-living the whole experience again as each episode screened. But as soon as it had finished, she revealed she was ready to look for love.
And it seems that she’s found it in handsome TV vet Dr Chris Brown.
NW magazine has revealed that Heidi and Chris were introduced by a mutual friend.
“It’s still early days, but word is they’ve been on a few sneaky dates while she’s been down in Sydney visiting Cam and Jules,” the insider told the publication.
“Heidi is so done with all the Mike drama. She’s ready to put that chapter of her life behind her and move on,” the insider revealed.
“Despite everything that happened on MAFS, she hasn’t been put off marriage. She’d still love to meet someone and she’s hopeful that the right man is still out there for her.”
Heidi and Chris make a handsome couple.
Chris, 40, is best known for hosting Bondi Vet from 2009 – 2017. He is currently hosting the Australian version of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
On paper, Heidi and Chris seem to be a very good match. The celebrity vet has previously shared that he “absolutely” wants children – and Heidi, 38, has also expressed a desire to start a family of her own.
“I wanted to start a family definitely,” she shared with NW after being left heartbroken by Mike.
“I also talked about having kids with a few of my ex-boyfriends. We would say, ‘Oh, you know I want this many kids’ – but it never happened.”
According to the NW insider, it’s Chris’ stable upbringing that appeals to Heidi. She was very open on MAFS about her difficult childhood. Having left home at 16 and struggling to get into foster care, Heidi ended up living on her own in government housing. It was when she tried to explain this to Mike on their honeymoon that he came out with the now infamous “I’m not your therapist” comment.
“Chris comes from a stable family, something that Heidi craves. It was one of the major things she found so attractive about Mike,” the source told NW.
As hard as they tried, Heidi and Mike just couldn’t make it work.
Chris is extremely guarded when it comes to his private life. ‘I’ve never been that guy going around boasting, especially about who I’m dating,’ he told TV WEEK.
“My attitude is that the people closest to me know everything that’s going on. They’re the ones who count, and if other people want to speculate that’s up to them.”
And when it comes to reality TV, Chris says “I wasn’t a reality TV person at all,” Chris told TV WEEK. “And I certainly never thought I’d host a reality TV show.”
Chris loves all creatures great and small.
While the pair are believed to be keeping their budding romance under wraps for now, Heidi is said to be excited to finally move on from her on-screen hubby Mike – especially after new details about their split recently came to light.
“She and Mike basically imploded,” an insider revealed to NW of the former couple. While viewers were left wondering what went wrong after they committed to each other at the final vows, the insider says it all fell apart within days.
“He had no interest in her after the show. He ghosted her as soon as she moved in to his home, ignoring her until she moved out two days later.”
The insider claims that Mike was focused on launching a TV career after MAFS, so news of her dating Dr Chris will sting. “Hearing Heidi’s possibly moved on with Dr Chris… would no doubt make his blood boil!”
Despite the ups and downs, Heidi says she doesn’t regret her TV journey. “I got smashed apart, broken up into pieces and then I put myself together, but this time I feel stronger, braver and bolder than ever before.”
