Our hearts broke for fireman Andrew J when his bride Lauren literally did a runner on him on their wedding night.
Instead of heading back on the first flight home, he stayed around for a couple of days, hoping she’d come back and explain what happened. She didn’t. Until the experts forced her to.
Last night the pair came face to face, and we low-key died as we watched Andrew listen to her explain why she vanished so suddenly.
NW chats to him about what was running through his mind during their confrontation, and what it felt like to be the jilted groom.
So how did you feel last night when Lauren came back and then started crying when she realised what she’d done?
Obviously it’s no good seeing anyone cry, so I felt bad for her straight away. I was empathetic but it was good to see that she had a realisation that she’d either missed out on something or realised that I was genuine.
Yeah exactly! You seem like such a good guy, and she didn’t even give you a chance!
I’m definitely not anyone who has acted differently in different situations throughout the experiment; I’ve been myself the whole time.
That was my safety net – to be myself – so to have me talk honestly and then see her react like that was kind of a bit of peace of mind to know she realises what happened and what’s come of it.
Were you annoyed though? You were so into her having a kid, and then she used that as an excuse as to why she left!
If I was to be positive about the whole thing I’d just admit to myself that, okay, it was probably a combination of things for her leaving – not just her son – and her wondering if it would work out with him. I mean it doesn’t mean [her son would] like me just because I worked with kids.
How could he not like you though?
[Laughs] Maybe it was also a build-up of stuff in her personal life that was going on. If I was to be hard on myself, it does look like there was possibly some excuses there I guess. It’s hard to tell, I can’t speculate what she was thinking, but the mind wanders for sure. A lot was said about the height thing, but it is what it is…
It just wasn’t meant to be for Lauren and Andrew.
How did you feel going to the dinner party by yourself?
It was tough, but bittersweet. It was great to see the boys who I’d met before, who said they were going to be a support network – and they already were.
And what about having to explain to the others what happened? Was that awkward?
I was the odd one out and they were going to want answers and want to know what happened and there was all these things running through my head like, “Do I explain it and tell them what I really think or do I be respectful to all the possibilities of what happened?” I just sat down and gave a quick explanation and tried to blend in.
So after everything that’s happened, we have to ask. Is Lauren the type of girl you’d want to be with?
Lauren had traits that I like in a partner. She’s fun to be around and that was a big one for me – just being positive and in the moment. Despite everything that happened she’s really fun to be around. She’s quick-witted, she laughs a lot, she smiles, and her mood is positive.
That’s so nice of you to say, considering!
As much as she’s probably going through some stuff in her personal life which is unfortunate, she’s quite light-hearted and a happy person and that’s a big thing for me. She’s street-smart, she’s got her head on her shoulders, she’s someone you can joke around with and talk to about certain things.
She’s quite open, honest and genuine and I just get a feel from her that she’s got a bit of experience as well. She’s had ups and downs in the past and I wanted someone that was emotionally mature. It probably sounds crazy after what’s happened.
So if you were to meet Lauren out at a bar then, would you ask her out?
Well the height doesn’t bother me, but I know that it bothers most girls, so that would stop me.
Not because of my opinion but because girls in general have the potential to want a taller man, and because I’m Lauren’s height, that would probably stop me.
She does have the personality that would attract me, but there’s more to a person than just conversation. But that’s a starting point for sure.
