You can tell Married at First Sight UK 2023 was an exceptional season because here we are still talking about it regularly in May 2024.
To be fair, as iconic as the show was to watch at the time, credit where credit is due: its legacy is primarily down to the movements of those wild af MAFS UK 2023 brides and grooms. And by 'movements' we mean shady Instagram posts, tell-all TikToks, and piping-hot podcast interviews.
Speaking of which...
One of the most turbulent relationships to come out of MAFS UK 2023 (excluding Georges Berthonneau and Peggy Rose's because that was just next level chaos) was that of Jordan Gayle and Erica Roberts. While the couple grew from strength to strength on the show (despite the endless drama), their relationship didn't last IRL with Jordan recently blaming MAFS itself for the downfall of the relationship.
Appearing on the Tinny Talk podcast – which may or may not have been filmed in a Travelodge by the looks of the YouTube video – Jordan revealed, "It was all good up until the show aired a few months later and the way they twist it and the way they edit it.
"We were watching it thinking, ‘That’s not how it went.’ Like, ‘That’s not how it went.’ And then the stresses of living that life in the public eye and stuff, it starts to weigh on you. That’s when I think the cracks started to show."
But the shade hurled at the show didn't stop there; early on his interview Jordan revealed a major production secret that we have to say doesn't shine the show in the most positive of lights.
According to Jordan, he reached out to expert Paul C Brunson for help and advice around October last year – while the show was airing – as he and Erica were apparently close to splitting, but Jordan claims the show's welfare team shut it down, telling him, "Don't speak to him."
Jordan explained, "We were going through a difficult time six months ago, like, October last year, and we were on the verge of breaking up. This was as the TV show was airing. I reached out to one of the experts, Paul, and he wanted to help me. He was messaging me and giving me advice.
"I made the mistake of telling welfare and welfare turned round to me and said, ‘Don’t speak to him, he’s not really supposed to speak to you because if he speaks to you he’s going to have to help everybody else.' And I was thinking, 'Everyone else has split up, there’s only really me and Erica still together.' He’s his own man, if he wants to help me – if he’s just talking to me as a friend, because he was a really nice guy – why can he not help me?"
Ooft.
heatworld has reached out to Channel 4 for comment.
Despite causing a lot (and we mean A LOT) of drama on MAFS UK 2023, Jordan and Erica’s relationship seemed to be going from strength to strength on the outside world but it all came to an abrupt end in February when they revealed they’d split.
Since then it's been months of back-and-forth social media shade and flat-out serious accusations, with Erica claiming Jordan cheated - something he Jordan vehemently denies.