EXCLUSIVE: The Bachelor’s Locky Gilbert is spending time with Married At First Sight’s Aleks Markovic during a break from filming after coronavirus forced Channel 10 to halt production
Things have gone from bad to worse for this year’s season of The Bachelor.
After COVID-19 shut down production in March, it looks like Locklan ‘Locky’ Gilbert may find himself a girlfriend on his own before filming eventually resumes.
Since returning home to Perth, the 30-year-old Australian Survivor star has been spending time with Married At First Sight‘s Aleks Markovic.
Finding his own match? The Bachelor Locky Gilbert has been growing close to MAFS’ Aleks Markovic after COVID-19 halted production of the show in Sydney, and he returned to Perth
The pair apparently met through mutual friends and have been socialising.
Locky accidentally appeared in the background of Aleks’ Instagram Live interview with boxer and socialite Kyron Dryden on Saturday.
He quickly stepped out of the frame before anyone could take a screenshot, but several confused fans asked: ‘Wasn’t that the Bachelor?’
Locky also recently followed the 27-year-old real estate agent on Instagram.
Oops! Daily Mail Australia understands he accidentally appeared in the background of Aleks’ Instagram Live on Saturday – but stepped away before confused fans could take a screenshot
‘He’s a friend of a friend’: When approached for comment by Daily Mail Australia, Aleks denied there was anything romantic going on between herself and former Survivor star Locky
When approached for comment on Wednesday, Aleks denied there was anything romantic going on between them.
‘I was with Locky on Saturday night. He’s a friend of a friend, super nice guy,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
She also confirmed he had been with her when she filmed her Instagram Live over the weekend.
Channel 10 and Locky Gilbert declined to comment.
Halted: Filming for The Bachelor was shutdown in Sydney in late March amid COVID-19. Pictured: Locky filming a date with contestant Bella Varelis for the show on March 9
Production on The Bachelor in Sydney was shut down in late March because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Channel 10’s head of entertainment, Stephen Tate, said at the time that Locky would have virtual dates with the women in lockdown, until filming could resume.
‘We’ve got a good amount of the series in the can, we’re about a third of the way in, which buys us a lot of time,’ Mr Tate told KIIS FM on March 27.
‘We’re going to embrace what’s happening… It will form part of the story, and we think we’ll be able to deliver probably the most extraordinary series ever.’
What’s happening? The initial plan was for Locky to have ‘virtual dates’ with the contestants in lockdown until filming could resume. Pictured: Filming a date with contestant Bella on March 9
However, host Osher Günsberg has since admitted that the future of Locky’s season is now looking uncertain, with nobody quite knowing what is going to happen.
He said on the Shameless podcast on Thursday: ‘We are on hiatus. I don’t know what’s going to happen… and I don’t think they [the producers] do either.’
Despite taking ‘extra precautions’ during the coronavirus pandemic, Channel 10 and Warner Bros. decided to halt production with immediate effect last month.
‘I don’t know what’s going to happen’: However, The Bachelor host Osher Günsberg (pictured) has since admitted that the future of Locky’s season is now looking uncertain