As Married at First Sight New Zealand star Tayler Morgan poses for our photos on a bridge spanning Christchurch’s Avon River, a couple of newlyweds glide underneath him in one of the city’s iconic punts.
Given his recent experience on the hit Three reality show, he’d be forgiven for screwing up his face at the sight of the glowing bride and groom, but the Taranaki-born electrician insists he’s not dark on marriage, despite his nasty split from ex-husband Samuel Levi.
“Nah, not at all,” Tayler smiles. “They look really happy. It’s kind of cute how they’re getting married and we’re here because of a divorce!”
The only sign of bitterness is when our Woman’s Day photo shoot relocates to a nearby rose garden, where the commercial sparkie muses, “What colour flowers do you send to someone you dislike?”
Tayler and Sam at their 2018 wedding.
Having left MAFS during filming, Christchurch-based Tayler and Auckland influencer Sam continued their relationship away from cameras, surprising viewers by arriving as a couple for the final reunion episode.
Plans were in place for Tayler to relocate to the City of Sails to move in with his hubby, but in early January, after four months together, Sam revealed the pair had broken up while he was on holiday in LA, later hinting Tayler had cheated on him.
“Not even 48 hours after our split, I found out he had been seeing someone else,” Sam wrote in a statement.
“I find it very hard to believe that a person could meet and start seeing someone in the space of a day and a half… People can think I’m naïve, but I’m not stupid.”
They’re not each other’s cup of tea any more, with Tayler poking fun at Samuel’s podcast.
Addressing the accusation for the first time, Tayler admits he moved swiftly with another man, but he insists there was no infidelity. He and Sam had been texting every day of his trip, however, Sam felt the contact wasn’t enough.
“Then one night, I’d had a busy day at work so I wasn’t as talkative as usual and he drunk-texted me, saying, ‘Are you just staying with me post-MAFS or do you really want this? You’re acting like you want to be single.’ I told him we’d talk about it when he was sober, but he kept pushing for an answer.
“I asked him if he was prompting me to break up with him and he denied it, but after a whole night of back-and-forth texting, I made up my mind and said I was done. The next day, he texted to say, ‘I really f***ed up last night. I’m sorry. Can we talk about it?’ And I was like, ‘Nah, I’m out, sorry. I tried hard to make you happy, but I just can’t be myself around you.’ I didn’t want to do it over text, but
I realised I’d been done for a wee while and I needed to find someone more suitable.
“I was really sad ‘cos I wanted MAFS to work out for me, but it was like a weight lifted off my shoulders. Sam was always trying to change me and it was stressful. He said I needed to convince him we should stay together and it was a chore.”
“My family noticed. When I visited at Christmas, my mum questioned whether I was alright. And my boss knew something was up because of my mood. If any of my colleagues gave me a bit of s***, instead of bantering right back, I’d snap at them. After the split, I was back to my old self. My boss said, ‘That light inside you is back.'”
The next day, Tayler innocently commented on a cute picture of a cat posted by one of his followers, which led to a flirty conversation. Five days later, they met for a beer and soon they were dating.
Tayler grins, “In the first four days I’d known him, he gave me more compliments than Sam ever had, which was amazing. He wasn’t a MAFS fan – just a regular, smart, kind person who I felt comfortable around.”
“Before I met up with him, Sam was texting to ask if we were really broken up, so maybe he’s confused about the timing. I don’t think it was too quick, but even if I’m in the wrong, I was pretty f***ed off when I read his statement. I didn’t cheat on him. I’m not that kind of person.”
Soon after our shoot, Tayler moved up to Auckland for work and to be closer to his new man, but they’ve since gone their separate ways, with the star explaining, “He has a bit going on at the moment and I don’t seem to be his priority.”
Regardless, Tayler loves his new life. He grins, “I wouldn’t be where I am now if I hadn’t gone on MAFS. It was a blessing. I’m even watching the Aussie series, which reminds me of the fun memories of our season. I’m really happy with where I’m at.”
