While Married At First Sight Australia‘s oldest couple – Andrea, 51, and Richard, 62 – seemed like a perfect match to begin with, the fireworks appear well and truly over for the couple.
WATCH: Shocking MAFS speech rocks Tim and Sara’s wedding
Even after renewing their vows on screen, Richard and Andrea’s returned chemistry was fleeting after intruder Ridge told the bride that she “wore the pants” in the relationship.
“To hear Ridge’s perspective on Richie and me was unsettling,” Andrea told producers, confessing she was left “questioning everything”.
Things came to a head when Andrea relayed Ridge’s comments to Richard, and recounted their conversation about Richard “embarrassing” her at an earlier commitment ceremony.
When the 62-year-old crudely aired out his and Andrea’s sex life to the contestants, Andrea was left shocked and told Richard as much. The bride then accused her groom of crossing this “boundary” twice more, which Richard did not take well.
“I just think you’re making things up,” Richard told Andie when she couldn’t provide examples. “You can’t put something on the table that you can’t remember.”
Jumping in to defend herself, Andrea said: “I can’t communicate with you if you’re completely denying what I’m talking about… I don’t feel like you hear me.”
But Richard was quick to interrupt. “Andie that’s not true… I’m not going to cop that,” he said, accusing his ‘wife’ of making an “excuse” rather than admitting she was no longer attracted to him.
This argument is just the latest sign that the pair don’t last outside of the experiment. The first piece of evidence came in February when the groom flew solo to a Belvedere event at the Flamingo Lounge in NSW.
Appearing to not be wearing his wedding ring, the 62-year-old carved up the dance floor alongside previous MAFS brides Olivia Frazer, Cyrell Paule and Mel Sheppard. At one point, Season 9 intruder Carolina Santos pulled Richard in and planted a kiss on his cheek!
According to the Daily Mail, Richard was heard whispering to Carolina that he was fascinated with her storyline when she appeared on the show.
At the time, insiders claimed that photographer Andrea was “disappointed” and “humiliated” by her groom’s behaviour.
“You really have to feel for Andrea,” said one source. “It can’t have felt good watching her groom drape himself all over these younger women.”
Andrea previously shared with New Idea that she has experienced “toxic” relationships in the past, including being gas-lit by an ex-partner.
“I was in an ‘on-again, off- again’ relationship and I just kept trying to make it right,” she told us. “I kept going back after apologies and I believed [it] when someone says they’ll do better.
“I knew I wasn’t being treated the way I deserved. It was scary and I didn’t feel brave at the time.”
Richard, meanwhile, was married to his previous wife for 28 years; the two brought up three children who are now all “living very happy, successful lives”.
Since living a single life, Richard has tried dating apps but has struggled because of his age. He was hoping his luck with change on MAFS.
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