Signing up to Married At First Sight offers participants the chance to concentrate on finding true love.
However, unbeknownst to viewers, Nick Furphy has been juggling forging a relationship with bride Sharon, while also dealing with a personal family matter.
As Nick revealed recently, his father is currently suffering from a mystery illness.
“We’re still trying to pinpoint whether it’s motor neurone disease,” the 30-year-old tells TV WEEK.
“He’s had a few specialist appointments and we’re still unsure.”
Nick and Sharon on their wedding day.
“There’s also a chance it may be spinal damage. We’re actually hoping it is that rather than Motor Neurone Disease, because there’s more treatment options.”
As a result of this uncertainty, Nick’s ability to commit to all aspects of the social experiment has been compromised.
“It’d been a pretty big distraction,” the carpenter admits.
“It was hard to concentrate on the experiment when you had all that happening in the background. It makes you a little on edge.”
The situation came to a head when Nick had to backtrack on his initial offer to move to Sharon’s hometown of Perth. Nick reiterates that as a result, an interstate move is still currently off the table for him.
“I need to know what the future holds for my dad first,” Nick says.
“Dad’s supported me my whole life and I’ve gotta be there for him and know what’s really going on.
“If he’s in the clear, I might consider moving to Perth. But I just have to make sure he’s alright first.”
However, Nick says he was floored by Sharon’s generous offer to move to Melbourne to be with him in the interim.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone in my life offer to do something like that,” Nick reveals.
“It’s a lot of commitment for someone to say that. I felt really lucky and I’m not going to take that for granted.”
