Married At First Sight groom Adrian Araouzou has broken his silence on one of the show’s most controversial moments.
The 30-year-old sportswear brand owner revealed why he refused to take part in a key challenge in a rogue TikTokย on Sunday night.
He said he was unfairly portrayed during the emotional letter writing challenge, claiming he was ‘stitched up’ by producers.ย
‘I can say that time I didn’t write the letter, they made me look bad, but it was like 10 o’clock at night again…’ he said.
‘The real reason behind me not writing that letter was becauseโฆ it was about a pivotal moment in your life that changed you for the better, right? And obviously, I knew Awhina [Rutene] was going to write about her son, and I wrote a letter, but then I’m like, I don’t want a sob story.’
‘I don’t want people to be like, “Oh, poor Adrian.” That’s just not my style.’ย

Married At First Sight groom Adrian Araouzou has broken his silence on one of the show’s most controversial moments. Picturedย

He said he was unfairly portrayed during the emotional letter writing challenge, claiming he was ‘stitched up’ by producers. Pictured withย Awhina Rutene
Adrian admitted that he could have handled the situation better.ย
‘I should have been like, “Hey Awhina, this is why I don’t want it, because I don’t want to look like poor me. I don’t want to tell the world everything. I’m happy to tell you off-camera, and I don’t want that to take away from your story, so I still want to hear your story.”‘
‘That is how I should have handled it, but I didn’t,’ he said.ย
In a rare moment of vulnerability, Adrian also opened up about his struggles with expressing emotions in relationships.
‘I wasn’t raised in that environment. I was loved, but I didn’t see love. So I find it hard to give it to other people, if that makes sense,’ he said.
‘If Awhina’s crying, as much as I want to give her a hugโฆ I feel like it’s forced. I’ve got to force it, and that’s not healthy, and I understand that.’
He admitted that after watching himself on the show, he realised he needed to become more empathetic and work on understanding his partner’s emotions.
In an unexpected revelation, Adrian also admitted to taking up vaping on set, claiming it was a common habit among cast members.ย

In a rare moment of vulnerability, Adrian also opened up about his struggles with expressing emotions in relationships
‘I got on the vapes on the show, bro. I got hooked. I’m off them now. But, f***, everyone did at one stage.’
While he didn’t name names, his comments suggest that many contestants turned to vaping during filming.
Fans also grilled Adrian on rumours that co-stars Dave Hand and Veronica Cloherty had a secret fling, but he was quick to shut down the speculation.
‘Did Dave hook up with Veronica? Nah. 100 percent nah. Who knows, but I highly doubt it. Dave’s not the type of guy, and I don’t think Veronica would be that dumb enough to.’
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