Married At First Sight’s Mike Gunner has admitted that some comments he made at the show’s recent Grand Reunion special got him in trouble with his girlfriend.
In an Instagram Q&A with fans, the former electrician said that comments he made about wanting to kiss his ex-‘wife’ Heidi Latcham upset his real life squeeze, Sonja Marcelline.
‘I got into heaps of trouble,’ the 45-year-old said.
Oh no! Married At First Sight’s Mike Gunner has admitted that some comments he made at the show’s recent Grand Reunion special got him in trouble with his girlfriend
‘That just came out, and a little bit of clever editing and it just made it look worse,’ he added.
In a recent interview, Mike disclosed his deepest regret from the show, which was filmed in 2019.
He said that he wishes he could have taken back a comment where he suggested ‘men handle pressure better than women,’ as he admitted it came across as a ‘stab at gender’.
Looking back: Mike recently disclosed his deepest regret from the show, which was filmed in 2019
During a MAFS episode, Mike was asked by relationship expert Mel Schilling as to why there was so much intensity between the women’s interactions in comparison to the men.
He responded at the time: ‘There’s a few things I’d like to point out. I think groups of women under pressure don’t cope as well as groups of men under pressure.’
Trying to set the record straight on his comment, he said to OK! Magazine: ‘Now they cut that up to make it out to sound like I said “men handle pressure better than women,” and that just sounded like a real stab at gender and that really annoyed me.’
Mike recalled when he watched the footage back, he was ‘p****d’ because it was edited to look like he interjected, as he said ‘that’s really not how it happened.’
Shock: The former electrician, 45, revealed he wishes he could have taken back a comment where he suggested ‘men handle pressure better than women’ (pictured his former partner Heidi)
But nevertheless, he regretted his comment and added: ‘So that’s a regret. I should’ve literally just have said nothing.’
According to Mike, in the final ceremony they were shown footage of the female contestants arguing, followed shortly by a clip of their male counterparts giving each other ‘pats on the back,’ and showing support.
He confirmed he was prompted by Mel to voice his opinion, but he initially responded: ‘I don’t think I want to weigh in on this. I’m just going to stay out of this one.’
The Australian star said that the relationship expert prompted a response once more, to which he made the comment.
His controversial statement riled some viewers in Australia, but Mike revealed he has generally received a very warm and welcome response from those watching in the UK.
Ouch: He said to OK! Magazine: ‘Now they cut that up to make it out to sound like I said “men handle pressure better than women,” and that just sounded like a real stab at gender and that really annoyed me’
Split: Mike and Heidi’s passionate yet chequered romance had seen the couple lock horns on a number of occasions and they ultimately decided to part ways
The Married At First Sight star confessed that his home country gave him a ‘really hard time,’ while the ‘English are really lovely,’ as he detailed his experience with online trolls.
He said he feels the UK have a similar way of thinking to him and could appreciate his stance and opinions which were documented on the dating series.
The electrician turned cosmetic tattoo artist confirmed that the contentious comment was made during the final evening after he had stated his final vows to Heidi and had reflected on their relationship during the TV experiment.
Mike and Heidi’s passionate yet chequered romance had seen the couple lock horns on a number of occasions, with Heidi frequently left hurt by his words.
After facing many roadblocks during their relationship due to communication, or lack thereof, the pair decided to go their separate ways.
Despite receiving a general warm and positive reaction, Mike was criticised for failing to listen to Heidi and for allegedly shutting her down when she tried to broach emotional topics of discussion.
While reflecting on the experience with OK! Magazine, Mike said he was just being himself, but admitted that there were moments when he would ‘flare up’ at remarks made by other contestants on the show.
He has since moved on with Sonja Marcelline who he met on the dating app Bumble, and he confessed to the publication that things are ‘going really well’.
Meanwhile, it is believed that Heidi is single.
New relationship: He has since moved on with Sonja Marcelline, who he met on dating app Bumble, and confessed things are ‘going really well’