TRIGGER WARNING: This article discusses physical violence. Reader discretion is advised.
It’s supposed to be Married At First Sight Australia, but the new 2025 participants Paul and Carina already knew each other from outside the experiment.
When Perth residents say the dating pool is small, they aren’t kidding! Carina is a 31-year-old Digital Marketing Manager while French-born Paul is a 30-year-old Wellness Advisor.
Roughly eight months before the experiment, the newlyweds matched and went on a hike for their first date. But unfortunately, there wasn’t a second date.
“He ghosted me. Knowing that we have literally crossed paths, not gonna lie, I’m just so disappointed,” Carina said. “Perth is so freaking small.”
While Carina said the connection “fizzled” out, Paul told the MAFS producers he was going through a “rough patch” at the time, and “had to let her go” which felt like “a massive loss.”
Seeing Carina walk down the aisle was a moment of joy for Paul, who felt the universe was bringing them back together for a reason.
“It feels like the universe is giving us, giving me, this second chance,” he said.
Unfortunately for the hopeful groom, Carina wasn’t so happy to see Paul at the end of the aisle.
“Am I going to get a different guy or what?” she asked the MAFS production member. “Is there another option?”
Despite her rush to find another husband, Carina and Paul have been matched on MAFS 2025 with no other options hiding around the corner. But knowing she was the one who got away, Paul is ready to do whatever it takes to win her affection – starting with a heartfelt apology, and a confession to her parents.
Carina’s feelings for Paul quickly flipped as her new husband showed his soft side. Each week, they showed up to the commitment ceremony smiling and swooning over each other.
That is until mid-way into the experiment where a passing comment from Carina about her previous intimate relationship caused Paul to become violent.
“Paul and I were coming back from a day out with Rhi and Jeff… we had a really good day together,” she said. “In the Uber, I was putting on music, I put on a song and I said a comment that ‘I’ve slept with this rapper’. I didn’t think it was awkward, Paul and I, we’ve spoken about our pasts, so I didn’t think there was an issue at all.”
“Paul obviously got offended by it and got a bit disrespected in how I said it.
“I went to bed, and that’s when he got really mad and punched the wall.”
Having slept in different apartments, Paul confessed to the crew: “I just completely lost my nerves… she couldn’t give me my space and I just lost it.”
Ultimately, Carina accepted Paul’s apology as the pair chose to continue in the experiment in the hopes of building a strong relationship. But it wouldn’t be MAFS without a few more twist and turns thrown into the mix.
For the first time in MAFS Australia history, a final test has been introduced where participants are offered the opportunity to go on a date with another compatible match who was part of the initial audition process.
Carina was confident in her connection with Paul and vice versa as she said participating on the date was “cheating.” Unfortunately, curiosity got the better of Paul!
“Out of curiosity. It’s not that I’m looking for something else, I’m genuinely curious,” Paul told his date before she abruptly walked out.
While Paul felt that going on the date made him realised how much he likes Carina, his wife felt “embarrassed” as she reflected on the year prior when they “first met online and nothing came out of it.”
“You actually just cheated… I’m worth so much more than this,” she said. “You did not consider how I was going to feel – again! You can pack your s***.”
As expected, the pair entered the final dinner party of the season solo – a move they haven’t resorted to this entire experiment.
On Carina’s side, all doors to the relationship seemed to be closed. However, Paul hoped to resolve their issues, yet needed her to “receptive” to his apology given he had felt “ghosted” by his wife.
“It was just negative after negative,” Paul said after the group shared their opinions of his outings. “All the good things that I’ve done has almost been forgotten.”
For Carina, the apology was no longer enough.
“It’s not good enough, continuously apologising – is not enough,” she said. “Your not even giving me any form of validation, you could have picked up the phone and you chose not to. You didn’t call me, you called the boys, and you obviously got reassurance from the boys… Surely you’ve noticed [after] all the f*** ups you did that all I wanted was some affection.”
“Try harder, I’m a catch, anyone would die to be with me.”
If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, help is always available. Call 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
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