When news broke that the original Married At First Sight sweethearts Zoe Hendrix and Alex Garner had split, fans were devastated to say the least.
The couple, who met at the altar in 2015, made us think this experiment thing could actually work, especially after they welcomed their gorgeous bub Harper-Rose in November 2016.
But in a heartbreaking Instagram post, Zoe has revealed that Alex was the one to initiate the break up and how her life has changed in ways she never expected it to.
Brace yourselves, it’s a tearjerker.
Yep, we’re still not over this.
In her Instagram caption accompanying an adorable picture with her daughter, Zoe penned, “After the separation a lot of women have contacted me privately asking ‘how do you know when it’s time leave your husband?’ The power of that question has weighed on me and I have thought long and hard for an adequate answer that these women deserve.
These exhausted women and mothers who have wearily walked their own relationship highs and lows, and who see me boarding a train, they think maybe they belong on too.
The divorce train. The separation train. Or even more terrifying, the single mother train.
But the unfortunate truth is, I didn’t choose this path. I never bought a ticket. I never thought that the man I love so much would one day walk away.
But he did.
I never thought I would be alone taking care of our child 6 days a week in a suburb that no longer feels like home.
But I do.
I never thought I would find myself single in a queen size bed. But I do.”
One thing’s for sure, Australia’s first MAFS baby, Harper-Rose is a cutie.
“So I can’t tell them about how I knew, or the courage it took to walk away. But I can talk about the strength it takes to accept the unexpected path that life unwilling drags you down.
I can tell them to accept that we all will face pain and adversity of one type or another.
That people will hurt us, people will abandon us, and we must also acknowledge that we will hurt others. Whether we know or intend to or not.
That often life will seem unfair and unjust (and sometimes plainly f*cking cruel) but we must learn to weather the storm. We must learn to hold on to hope. Even on days we just wish to end the pain.
We must learn to embrace our struggles and know that tremendous growth can come from our breakdown. In fact if we listen and take on the lessons, it can be a breakthrough.
I can only tell these woman, that there is no courage where there is no fear. And that whatever choice you make, after the storm has subsided, you will find joy again. Your life might just be different to how you dreamt it to be.
Have hope knowing that it’s not the end of the world if someone doesn’t love you anymore – it’s only the end of the world, if you don’t love you anymore. ❤️”
We’re thinking of you both during this tough time.
“We must learn to hold on to hope. Even on days we just wish to end the pain.”
