Married At First Sight’s ‘warrior’ groom Ryan Donnelly has finally addressed the shocking X-rated remark he made about his bride Jacqui Burfoot.
In an interview with Daily Mail Australia, the 37-year-old fitness fanatic, who has been a polarising figure on this season of MAFS, owned up to his part in the scandal.
‘Haha, watching my edit back was cringeworthy, but you know what? I’m here for it,’ Ryan said.
‘I’m here to be like, it’s a cautionary tale.’
‘You’ve got to just take ownership, take accountability, say a couple of funny things, and then, yeah, just demonstrate that you’ve learned from it.’
Ryan infamously stunned his male co-stars and stoked public outrage by joking his bride ‘has got crazy eyes… but she gives good h**d’ during an Intimacy Week session.
Married At First Sight’s ‘warrior’ groom Ryan Donnelly (pictured) has finally addressed the shocking X-rated remark he made about his bride Jacqui Burfoot
When asked if he had indeed learned from the backlash, Ryan confessed he hadn’t been fully aware of the layers of emotional awareness expected in such a setting.
‘There’s just layers of empathy and emotional awareness that I think men in general, definitely myself, just weren’t aware of,’ he admitted.
‘And obviously, there’s a time and a place, a forum, a setting to say certain things, and last night’s episode? Not good.’
Ryan claimed that he and Jacqui had shared a private joke before the infamous intimacy seminar, where he made the remark that shocked expert Alessandra Rampolla and fellow contestants.
‘We actually did [joke about it] beforehand, before we even entered into the intimacy seminar,’ he said.
‘Jacqui and I had a little bit of a joke about the crazy eyes, and even the crude remark as well.
‘But that kind of humour doesn’t translate well to a group of grooms you’ve only known for a week or two – they’re not really your mates yet.’
Ryan expressed regret over his choice of words but stood by his belief that the outrage was somewhat amplified.
The 37-year-old fitness fanatic, who has been a polarising figure on this season of MAFS, admitted his cringeworthy comment was inappropriate but insisted it was taken out of context
‘Of course I regret it. I completely understand why people were upset by it, and I genuinely apologise for my words.
‘It was inappropriate, and I should have been more considerate in that moment.’
The Sydney-based groom also admitted to looking a little silly on his wedding day, after infamously dropping his bride onto the floor during their first dance.
‘There’s dropping a bride at the wedding, being a so-called warrior, and making a fool of yourself, but this was just inconsiderate, crass, un-gentlemanly – call it whatever you want.
‘I definitely learned from it.’
Ryan felt the wrath of his fellow cast members during Wednesday night’s dinner party, with groom Dave Thomas leading the charge.
‘I have to say, I was largely ignorant of it at the time.
‘In the actual seminar, nobody really reacted.
‘Haha, watching my edit back was cringeworthy, but you know what? I’m here for it. I’m here to be like, it’s a cautionary tale,’ Ryan said
Ryan claimed that he and Jacqui had shared a private joke before the infamous intimacy seminar, where he made the remark that shocked expert Alessandra Rampolla and fellow contestants
‘There were a few laughs at the “crazy eyes” remark, and the explicit one got a couple of gasps, but no one said a single word.
‘Then suddenly, I’m being confronted at the dinner party like it was a planned roast session.’
Ryan also addressed accusations that he had been reluctant to tell Jacqui he wasn’t attracted to her, which played out in a tense scene on the show.
‘As a matter of fact, I did pay her many compliments, starting at the lingerie store.
‘It wasn’t just “you’re a snack” and “you’re yummy”.
‘She looked amazing in the lingerie. She tried on three different ones, and I gave her every compliment I knew how to produce.’
The controversial photo ranking task, which left Jacqui in tears, was also a major talking point.
Ryan ranked his wife third, which led to a major blow-up in their relationship.
Ryan also addressed accusations that he had been reluctant to tell Jacqui he wasn’t attracted to her, which played out in a tense scene on the show
‘It’s like a bad penny – it keeps coming back.
‘I’ve watched the replay si
x times now. It’s truly a dead horse that gets flogged,’ he laughed.
‘Yeah, it’s a real thorn in our side moving forward. In hindsight, I should’ve shown more sensitivity.
‘I went in favour of pure honesty.’
Ryan also defended his choice by pointing out that Jacqui had openly expressed disappointment about his appearance on their wedding day.
‘She said she was disappointed I wasn’t blonde, clean-shaven, or 6’4’. She mentioned her ex had a godlike body.
‘So, should I have put her first just out of kindness, or should I have been true to myself?’
Bride Morena Farina was one of the first to call Ryan out for his insensitive comments, something he now admits was fair.
‘It’s like a bad penny – it keeps coming back. I’ve watched the replay six times now. It’s truly a dead horse that gets flogged,’ he laughed of the photo challenge
Morena Farina was one of the first to call Ryan out for his insensitive comments, something he now admits was fair. ‘Morena actually made a very good point. She said, ‘This is someone’s daughter, someone’s sister,’ and she was horrified if that were her relation’
‘Morena actually made a very good point. She said, “This is someone’s daughter, someone’s sister”, and she [would have been] horrified if that were her relation. Fair call.’
Meanwhile, Jacqui’s emotional exit from the dinner party caught Ryan off guard.
‘One minute we were talking about something else, and then suddenly she stood up, threw her hands in the air, and stormed out.
‘I was like, “Oh jeez, okay. Catch you later?”‘
Ryan admitted he wasn’t sure whether he should have run after her but was more focused on finally getting to eat his meal after the earlier drama.
The MAFS groom was also asked whether Jacqui’s portrayal on the show was an accurate reflection of reality.
‘All I can say is that the marriage and the relationship was a rollercoaster.
‘But you can’t strap yourself in and start wailing two minutes in because you bought the ticket, you take the ride.’
The reality star hinted at more fireworks to come in his relationship with Jacqui, jokingly dubbing their MAFS journey ‘Controversy Airlines’
Ryan claimed that Jacqui’s mood swings left him blindsided at times.
‘She makes good points about my lack of sensitivity, but yeah, her moods and character take drastic turns. You’ll see me getting blindsided a few times.’
Ryan also responded to Jacqui speaking out about their relationship on the podcast Going Rogue, calling it ‘foolish’ and ‘damage control’.
‘She watched all the previous seasons, she was watching footage in the apartment with me at the time.
‘How could you sign up for this and not expect some bad moments to be aired?
‘It’s very premature.’
He also advised Jacqui ‘to stop taking it so seriously’.
The reality star hinted at more fireworks to come in the couple’s relationship, jokingly dubbing their MAFS journey ‘Controversy Airlines’.
‘This is your captain speaking. Thank you for flying Controversy Airlines. We’re expecting further turbulence on this flight.’
Despite the drama, Ryan insisted he has no regrets about the experience and is taking it all in stride.
‘It’s almost like a comedy show for me and my mates now. I haven’t lost any friends over it. They’re watching it with me, laughing, calling me a dickhead straight out. That’s what good mates do.’
When asked about a rumour that he had a ‘200 plus’ body count, Ryan simply laughed it off.
‘Oh my God. Where’s this coming from? We know exactly who it has come from. That’s between me and whatever the real number is. Let’s leave that to people’s imagination.’
