Married At First Sight’s Ryan Donnelly has broken his silence on his ill-fated hookup with Scarlett Cooper, accusing the former TV bride of betrayal and clout-chasing.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the 37-year-old said he was ‘disgusted’ and ‘dumbfounded’ after former bride Scarlett unleashed a savage public attack just days after they met at the Australia’s Most Influential People Party 2025.
The drama unfolded after Ryan and Scarlett crossed paths at the star-studded Sydney event earlier this month, where they hit it off and later spent the night together.
In a series of lengthy Instagram Stories, Scarlett, 31, alleged that Ryan became ‘abusive’ and ‘scary’ after their night together, accusing him of ghosting her and slamming his behaviour as ’embarrassing’ and ‘harmful’ to his ongoing legal case with Jacqui Burfoot.
Scarlett claimed Ryan initially charmed her, describing him as ‘hot,’ ‘intelligent,’ and ‘good in bed,’ but said he later ignored her messages, prompting her to side with Jacqui in their bitter court battle.
‘I’m actually team Jacqui,’ Scarlett declared online. ‘He’s embarrassing himself and she’s going to take him down.’
Married At First Sight’s Ryan Donnelly (pictured) has broken his silence on his ill-fated hookup with Scarlett Cooper, accusing the former TV bride of betrayal, clout-chasing and using social media to weaponise emotions for attention
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the 37-year-old said he was ‘disgusted’ and ‘dumbfounded’ after former bride Scarlett unleashed a savage public attack just days after they met at the Australia’s Most Influential People Party 2025. (Scarlett pictured at event with Ryan and co-star Tony Mojanovski)
Scarlett also accused Ryan of harassing her with text messages, and claimed he was ‘living it up’ partying at clubs despite alleging he was a victim of domestic violence.
In a shocking breach of privacy, Scarlett shared Ryan’s private phone number on social media, which was later re-shared by Jacqui to her followers.
But Ryan has now hit back – revealing a very different version of events.
‘I’m still dumbfounded as to how it’s reached this extent,’ he told Daily Mail Australia. ‘I’m tired of people weaponising their emotions and trying to bandwagon on domestic violence and MAFS just for their own clout.’
Ryan said he and Scarlett met through mutual friends and connected later in the evening, deciding to spend the night together after what he described as a ‘fun and light-hearted vibe.’
‘We literally hung out for half a day. We became intimate – but straight after, I started getting a concerning energy from her,’ he explained.
Ryan said Scarlett quickly became possessive and pressured him emotionally.
‘She started saying things like, “You better not ghost me” and “You better not hurt me.” I already felt pressure to manage her emotions, and we had only just met.’
Despite their brief connection, Ryan revealed Scarlett was initially highly supportive of him, offering advice for his upcoming court case against Jacqui Burfoot.
In a series of lengthy Instagram Stories, Scarlett, 31, alleged that Ryan became ‘abusive’ and ‘scary’ after their night together, accusing him of ghosting her and slamming his behaviour as ’embarrassing’ and ‘harmful’ to his ongoing legal case with Jacqui Burfoot
Scarlett claimed Ryan initially charmed her, describing him as ‘hot,’ ‘intelligent,’ and ‘good in bed,’ but said he later ignored her messages, prompting her to side with Jacqui in their bitter court battle
‘She was giving me advice on what to say to undermine Jacqui in court. She said she believed in me, that Jacqui was crazy. She even suggested we send photos to Woman’s Day and make money off it.’
Ryan insisted he did not ghost Scarlett, but admitted he was slower to respond to messages because he was focused on preparing for his legal hearing.
‘She knew I was tied up with my solicitor and court prep. She said, ‘Let’s just keep texting.’ I agreed and told her we’d catch up again.’
However, just 48 hours after they met, Ryan said he was blindsided when Scarlett began publicly attacking him online.
‘I was at the gym when a friend told me to look at her stories. I had a panic attack. She was ranting about me not responding fast enough, claiming she was used’ he said.
Ryan said he tried to call Scarlett to resolve the situation privately, but she ignored his calls.
‘I trusted her. I confided in her about very personal things. And she betrayed that trust so publicly. I was genuinely hurt’ he explained.
Ryan also accused Scarlett of threatening to ‘undermine’ his court case by leaking private messages to Jacqui.
In a shocking breach of privacy, Scarlett shared Ryan’s private phone number on social media, which was later reshared by bride Jacqui Burfoot (right) to her followers
Despite their brief connection, Ryan revealed Scarlett was initially highly supportive of him, offering advice for his upcoming court case against Jacqui. (Ryan pictured arriving at Campbelltown Local Court on April 23)
‘She said she was going to send everything to Jacqui to destroy me. She knew how fragile my case was.’
Ryan’s solicitor has since issued Scarlett a cease and desist notice for harassment and the unlawful sharing of private information.
‘She shared my phone number online, which is illegal. I went to my solicitor and the police,’ he said. ‘Despite the cease and desist, she continued posting.’
Ryan said Jacqui also reshared Scarlett’s illegal posts to her 86,000 followers – prompting a second legal warning.
‘At the end of the day, Scarlett and Jacqui have only given me more evidence to support my case,’ Ryan said.
Despite the ordeal, Ryan said he remains confident he has done nothing wrong.
‘I didn’t reject Scarlett. I didn’t ghost her. I was focusing on a serious legal matter – and she knew that,’ he said.
‘I would’ve happily caught up with her for a coffee and kept things respectful, but she didn’t give me that chance. She decided to blow it up online for clout.’
Ryan said the entire experience has been deeply stressful and emotionally draining.
‘This whole situation could have seriously hurt my legal case. It’s disturbing how quickly some people will flip and weaponise your vulnerability for attention,’ he said.
He added: ‘I trusted the wrong person for six hours – and I’ll never make that mistake again.’
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Scarlett Cooper for further comment.
