Dave Hand was a fan favourite on Married At First Sight (MAFS) 2025, up until last week anyway. The groom, who was one half of the experiment’s strongest couple alongside Jamie Marinos, lost the support of fans after he and Jamie hit a roadblock after she professed her love for him, with Dave becoming cold and withdrawn.
It was a different side to the empathetic and confident groom we had seen previously. Jamie broke down in tears during last week’s dinner party over his change in demeanour, with Dave doing nothing to offer support or comfort.
At the last commitment ceremony, Dave said he was going to fight for Jamie and their relationship and during home stays, Dave was faced with explaining himself to Jamie’s sister, Georgia Marinos.
While Jamie’s sister raised some valid points about the fact Dave may be feeling only friendship feelings and Jamie has accepted the bare minimum, fans have started feeling sympathy for the groom again, with many taking to social media to say he looks “broken” by the experiment.
MAFS’ Jacqui speaks out about Dave and Jamie: “He was visibly distressed”
In an Instagram story, Jacqui Burfoot answered a question about Dave’s alleged connection with his partner-swap co-star Veronica Cloherty, saying she believed the two were just friends.
“Dave had very sad issues going on at home and became cold and withdrawn from the experiment, it wasn’t just Jamie he was getting withdrawn from, it was everyone,” Jacqui explained. “Backstage he was sad, he was visibly distressed… keep in mind, just because his mood was cold, it doesn’t have anything to do with Jamie.”
A source who has chosen to remain anonymous but knows Dave in real life says the groom is currently ‘struggling’ watching the storyline play out.
MAFS fans start to rally around Dave again: “Needs to be empathy”
MAFS fans have now started to question the ongoing storyline more, calling the situation between Jamie and Dave ‘sad’.
“He looks absolutely broken,” one person commented on a MAFS Instagram video. “Eyes don’t lie.”
“Dave looks traumatised, an emotional trigger has been pulled for him. I really don’t see him as malicious and it is really very sad,” another said. “There needs to be empathy and understanding. He looks so lost, I can’t believe not one person has recognised that.”
“Poor Dave,” someone else agreed. “I actually feel for Dave… he genuinely seems lost and confused in all of this. But people will just say [it’s] Veronica.”
Other fans agreed that Jamie’s sister had a point in calling out the groom and stating that his feelings towards Jamie were just based on a close friendship.
“Why is everyone trying to say Jamie is forcing him? Yeah, forcing him to be honest. He doesn’t make sense,” someone said. “Why is he out here saying he can picture a future with her but doesn’t have romantic feelings? This isn’t Roommate at First Sight.”
“Jamie, let him lose you. Your ‘forever after’ is out there,” another fan encouraged.
Married At First Sight 2025 airs Sundays at 7pm and Monday – Wednesday at 7:30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
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