Brookes Bold Move to Win Back Ex Revealed

There's something deliciously unhinged about signing up for a reality show, marrying a stranger, and airing your love life to millions… 

…all because you're not quite over your ex. 

And yet, if the whispers swirling around Married At First Sight star Brook Crompton are true, that may be exactly what we're witnessing.

For those catching up: Queensland model Brook is one of the brides on the new season of MAFS, filmed in Sydney late last year. She's paired with a bloke called Chris Nield, who looks like he's been pulled straight from MAFS central casting.

But here's the plot twist: last week it emerged she was pregnant - and Chris isn't the father. They split during filming ages ago. Instead, the baby's father is her ex-partner Harry, who she broke up with just weeks before running off to film MAFS.

Oh, and Brook and Harry are now engaged. All's well that ends well? 

Since appearing on MAFS, Brook Crompton (pictured on the Gold Coast on February 10) has revealed she is pregnant and engaged to her pre‑show partner

Brook married Chris Nield on the show, but returned to the arms of her ex once filming wrapped

The roaring online speculation is that Brook's brief stint on MAFS was part of a grand scheme to make Harry see what he was missing.

And I guess seeing the woman you love literally marry another man on TV is the kind of shock that can jump‑start even the most stalled relationship.

Harry admitted as much, saying: 'Yeah, I came crawling back. I missed her a little too much.' Brook added: 'He had to put in the hard yards, because he broke up with me.'

But if this really was Brook's strategy all along, she's far from alone.

Reality TV history is littered with contestants who freely admit they never truly went on the show to find love - they wanted a reaction from someone watching at home, often an ex. 

Whether it's pettiness or unfinished business, the small screen has become the ultimate stage for post‑break‑up theatrics.

It sounds dramatic. It sounds slightly dreadful. But it's also deeply human.

Gosh, I'll admit I've done some wild things to get the attention of an emotionally unavailable ex in my time (I didn't go as far as starring on a dating show, though). 

Maura Higgins (pictured) famously got revenge on a cheating ex by appearing on Love Island

Olivia Attwood (pictured) also went on the show to show her ex Bradley Dack what he was missing. She later married him - although the couple split again very recently 

Read More

Every woman's worst sexual fear is playing out on MAFS. Bec. I know exactly what made Danny go cold

It happens more often than you'd think, because one of the uncomfortable truths about relationships is that sometimes we don't realise what we've got until it's gone… or worse, until we see that person thriving without us. 

I'm guilty as charged on both counts. 

But, like I said, if Brook entered the experiment with unfinished business lingering in her mind - and it certainly seems that way - she isn't the first and won't be the last.

Take Love Island UK star Maura Higgins. She made a refreshingly honest admission that heartbreak played a major role in her decision to go on TV.

After discovering her boyfriend had cheated, she admitted: 'I'm gonna get revenge on him. I had a plan.' She later explained she entered the villa 'like a bull in a china shop' because she was still so filthy about the break‑up.

What began as a revenge fantasy soon morphed into a life‑changing break, catapulting her career - and her confidence - in ways she could never have imagined.

She traded the chilly shores of Ireland for a glittering TV career that took her all the way to Hollywood, and she's currently appearing on The Traitors US. 

Olivia Attwood has been just as candid about her own motives for doing reality TV.

She joined Love Island UK in 2017 shortly after footballer Bradley Dack cheated on her, later revealing she wanted to remind him exactly what he'd lost. 

The gamble paid off. Not only did she become one of the breakout stars of her season, she also ended up marrying him (although they've recently split again).

After her very public revenge saga played out on screens, she joked she was 'flooded with messages' from women asking for relationship advice. 

In Brook's case, we're seeing yet another loud example of what many women quietly do after a break‑up with the man they thought was The One. 

It's the 'revenge glow-up'.

The gym addiction. The holiday snaps. The new wardrobe. The thirst traps on Instagram. They all send that deliberately unsubtle message: 'Look at me now.' 

Signing up for a dating show just takes it to the extreme. 

Of course, there's a darker side to this. 

If someone enters a TV love experiment while emotionally tethered to an ex, it raises serious questions about authenticity - not to mention being unfair to the person they're paired with on the show. 

Many people are cynical about shows like MAFS, but they remain popular not just for the dinner‑party drama - it's that deep down, viewers still believe at least some contestants are genuinely open to finding love. 

When someone's motivation is so obviously strategic, it shatters the illusion. 

Brook's behaviour on and off screen has clearly rubbed viewers the wrong way, too. 

Even with a difficult TV husband, she hasn't attracted public sympathy. That alone speaks volumes about how the audience has interpreted her intentions. 

'It sounds dramatic. It sounds petty. It sounds slightly dreadful. But it's also deeply human,' writes Daily Mail columnist Jana Hocking

But perhaps, at the end of the day, she doesn't even care. 

She split from Chris after just a few weeks and didn't even bother showing up to the cast reunion. By then, of course, she was already back in a love bubble with Harry. 

Mission accomplished. 

Beneath all this lies a fascinating psychological truth. 

Splits rarely offer clean closure. Many walk away uncertain, burdened by emotional hangovers, questioning whether they made the right call - wondering if they'll be missed, craving proof they mattered. 

Watching an ex move on can spark regret. Watching them thrive can trigger sheer panic. 

And I suspect that's what happened here. Brook said, 'Screw you, I'm going on MAFS' - and it worked a treat. 

Within months, she was pregnant and engaged to the one she really wanted. 

Women do this all the time - they find clever, calculated ways to signal to the one that got away that he's made a colossal mistake. You'd be shocked at how effective a simple dinner snap can be… especially when there's just the faintest hint of a man's arm in the frame. 

What Brook did was the same strategy - just writ large. Very large. 

New to DailyMail+? Here are our most-read stories from the last week

MAFS INSIDER: Shattering truth about Danny's post-honeymoon clarity with Bec that WASN'T shown on TV... Plus, cruel unseen producer act on Luke and Mel's wedding day

How I was abused by my paedophile sister: At 13, Harriet was plied with drugs and made to perform grotesque incestuous acts. Now as her abuser is found guilty, she bravely tells her story and says: 'I've got my life back'

Every woman's worst sexual fear is playing out on MAFS. Oh, Bec. I know exactly what you did to make Danny go cold: JANA HOCKING

Can't be tamed: Horrific moment deranged female inmate Jessica Camilleri - who hacked off her mother's head - tries to SCALP fellow prisoner in notorious jail

The ultimate Old vs New Money tier list: As a 'gauche' young mum rattles society snobs, we reveal who really belongs on each side of Australia's wealth divide

I've just learned what pushed Simone Holtznagel over the edge. Jono, you fool. Every woman forced to deal with a 'baby daddy' will now understand WHY she exposed him: AMANDA GOFF

'None of them are innocent': Tess Crosley's family claim there IS more to the story of Lachie Neale affair - as we reveal Jules' furious response

Inside the MAFS dinner party from hell: Bride accused of scandalous sex act, unforgivable insults - and the producers' 'crisis' response... as one star tells ALI DAHER: 'It's armageddon'

MAFS insiders reveal what REALLY happened between Danny and Gia as the show teases first cheating scandal... and the shattering fallout for his 'insecure' wife Bec

Grace Tame was untouchable. Now the forces that protected her are gone. What was once whispered about her can now be said out loud: PETER VAN ONSELEN