TV

MAFS NZ shock as Monique and Gareth hook up after the final show

We did not see this coming!

The unlikely hook-up - Gareth Noble and Monique Lee

Just when we were a tad disappointed that the second series of Married at First Sight NZ didn’t provide as much drama as the Australian version, Monique Lee and Gareth Noble were spotted kissing and holding hands at a MAFS party celebrating the end of the season.

“Gareth and I did kiss while clubbing in Christchurch,” Monique told Stuff.

“It wasn’t planned and was very unexpected. We care a lot for our MAFS family, even if we didn’t show that in the best way on Saturday night. We are all still friends,” she said.

Gareth and Ottie and Fraser and Monique on their wedding days.

Gareth was paired with 32-year-old promotions manager Ottie Schwartz, while Monique was matched with 27-year-old policy analyst Fraser Pearce.

Ottie called things off at the second commitment ceremony, citing a difference in their morals and the biggest hurdle they faced – the fact that Ottie didn’t want children.

Monique and Fraser made it through to the end where they mutually agreed to end their relationship, having failed to find a romantic spark.

Both former spouses felt blindsided by the hook up. Monique says she told Fraser and Ottie what happened “the next day,” but both Fraser and Ottie maintain that wasn’t the case, and that they in fact found out from someone else.

“Both Ottie and I are hurt about the environment in which it happened, and how we didn’t find out what happened from them first,” Fraser told Stuff.

“Behaving like this at a social event for our friends and family, hosted by our MAFS family to celebrate our journey together wasn’t mindful of either Fraser or myself,” Ottie told the publication.

“No one ever wants to hear this kind of news from a third party. But I wish them all the best.”

It later emerged that Ottie had been charged with drink driving after leaving the party that night.

Ottie called things off with Gareth at the second commitment ceremony.

Monique was forced to confirm the rumour about her and Gareth after they were spotted going home together after the party. A photo has also surfaced of them holding hands under a table.

The success rate of this season was markedly better than the last series, with two couples staying together after the end of the experiment; Dan and Yuki, who were never in doubt, and Sam and Tayler who, after deciding to end things before the final commitment ceremony, continued their relationship away from the pressure of the show.

We wait with bated breath to see whether Monique and Gareth pursue their new relationship once the controversy dies down. Watch this space!

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