Jack Dunkley and Tori Adams were one of the most contentious couples on the last season of Married At First Sight Australia, with even the judges urging Tori to end the relationship.
In fact, she reveals to Woman’s Day that producers rang her late the night before their vow renewal, then again that morning, trying to convince her to leave Jack.
“I was ready to confirm I wanted to be in this relationship, but they’re telling me they can help me rewrite the vows and coach me on what to say,” recalls Tori. “They were saying, ‘You can leave him still – it will be heroic,’ right up until the last minute.”
But the bride stuck to her guns and today the couple is still happily committed, proving the haters wrong.
Tori, 29, moved from Melbourne to the Gold Coast in March, joining Jack, 35, sooner than planned, after the couple found they were spending four hours a day on Facetime.
“After three months living together on MAFS, Tori and I really enjoyed each other’s company,” says Jack. “Other participants would use the weekends to have a break from each other. But if you’re a real couple, you do everything together – groceries, dinners, bedtime… We made an effort from the start.”
Jack and Tori believe MAFS producers put them together not because they wanted a love story, but to cause drama.
“We’re both fighters, we’re stubborn and we stand up for what we think is right,” says Tori. “If we didn’t align, it would be chaos, but we never had that.”
The couple formed a close relationship on their week-long honeymoon in Vanuatu. “But the producers showed none of that on TV,” tells Tori. “We got along like a house on fire and I got to know who Jack was. On the show, I came across as lovesick, with rose-tinted glasses, but the person I was fighting for was the Jack I got to know on honeymoon.”
Meanwhile, Jack claims, “Every show needs a villain and they’d decided from the start that that was going to be me.” He insists producers edited the 11th season of MAFS so viewers didn’t know much about his background outside the show.
“My parents just ticked over 40 years of marriage and I’m my father’s son. They raised me on a dairy farm, I have traditional values and I want a family one day. I’ve worked full-time ever since Year 11 to build financial security and a solid life, but you didn’t hear any of that on the show.”
Tori adds, “And I come from a broken home. I asked for someone who could give me a traditional nuclear-family set-up. Our backstories couldn’t align any more.”
The pair recalls producers trying to encourage drama, attempting to pit all the cast members against each other. “They wanted the loudest personalities to rise to the top, even if it meant creating conflict where there wasn’t any,” Tori explains.
Jack continues, “They’d actually stop you if there wasn’t enough and tell you to do it again – ‘Don’t fluff over that!’ Those dinner parties could end as late as 5am, so you’d be tired and hungry. It was really full-on.”
Despite being given a rough ride, the couple doesn’t regret signing up for MAFS.
Tori smiles, “Obviously we got the most ideal outcome – each other – so I don’t regret how it happened.”
Jack adds, “We’re not bitter about it. At the very least, it’s a good conversation starter!”
Since the show ended, the lovebirds have been enjoying a simpler lifestyle.
“We don’t need the publicity. We’re happy with our quiet lives together,” enthuses Jack. “We turn down events, preferring to watch the footy or meet up with friends. We go to work, enjoy the weekends and like to keep things uncomplicated.”
Tori laughs, “We’re like an old married couple because MAFS accelerates everything.”
Since their time on MAFS, both work full-time, with former business development manager Tori now in disability recruitment and Jack still a personal trainer, running his business from the AllBodz gym in Coomera, Gold Coast.
“It’s a brand-new fitness facility opened by a good mate of mine, Todd, who was at our wedding,” tells Jack. “Tori’s a member and comes down most days. She drags me back for a workout after I have finished work for the day!”
The twosome is optimistic about their future as a couple, balancing all of their career ambitions with enjoying each other’s company.
“We’re focused on building a life that feels settled before starting a family,” Tori shares. “I feel like I was born to be a mother, but there’s no hurry. Jack’s my biggest supporter and we both feel motivated to create a life that lets us thrive together.”
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