Married At First Sight (MAFS) star Stella Mickunaite and Filip Gregov‘s messy split continues to play out in the press and on social media.
The former golden couple, who appeared on the 2026 season of the dating show, confirmed their split earlier this month, just eight months after they got engaged in the MAFS finale.
After Stella shared the couple’s plans to elope, Filip has taken to social media to share a cryptic post about what you can “control”. It hasn’t been accepted well by all the fans, with many feeling sorry for his jilted bride, Stella.
“The only things you truly control are: your attitude, your effort, your words, your actions, your habits, your discipline, your integrity, your response to adversity, who you spend your time with, what you consume, what you choose to focus on [and] the standards you hold yourself to,” he wrote, before finishing with #gratitude.
MAFS fans were quick to comment, with one saying: “Maybe you should follow your own advice.”
“Maybe read up on how to end a relationship in person? That’d be a good start,” another said, referring to how Filip ended his relationship with Stella over the phone.
“Breaking up over the phone is not a good indicator of integrity,” a third agreed.
However, he was supported with positive comments from MAFS grooms David Momoh and Scott McCristal.
Stella reveals she had plans to elope with Filip in July
A bunch of social media statements and updates have followed, with the most recent being the news that Stella was ready to elope with Filip and had plans for a ceremony slated for late July.
“I was planning to offer for us to elope. I had plans in place for July 25,” Stella told the Daily Mail.
Stella went on to reveal that she had consulted a bridal jeweller, “Simon Curwood, and the events manager at the venue where we got married last year.” The planning even went as far as landing a magazine deal to cover the elopement, Stella revealed.
Elsewhere in her statement, Stella called hogwash on reports she and Filip were not aligned on their future, saying claims otherwise are “absolute bullocks and so far beyond the truth.”
Stella’s statement confirms previous rumours around her and Filip’s imminent nuptials, with reporter Ali Daher saying in a recent TikTok Live video with MAFS contestant Awhina Rutene that the pair were “planning to elope.”
“They were going to get married this month, actually,” Ali told Awhina in the clip.
While Stella said she had plans for an elopement in place, competing sources refuted that version of events, claiming she and Filip had disagreed over their living arrangements before planning a ceremony and ending their engagement.
“Stella had no plans to move to Melbourne. It wasn’t even an option,’ a told the Daily Mail. “That was a major reason Filip wanted out. He could not see how the relationship was going to work when they were not on the same page about where they would build their life.”
MAFS’ Stella and Filip trade social media statements after their split
The elopement news follows a flurry of updates about the fallout of Stella and Filip’s split, which was confirmed earlier this month.
At the time, reports claimed it was Stella who initiated the break-up, but the MAFS bride quickly refuted those rumours on social media — saying it was Filip who broke the engagement and that he delivered the news over the phone.
“I never imagined I’d be writing something like this, but I feel it’s important to share my truth,” Stella wrote on Instagram. “Filip ended our relationship. While he had clearly been processing that decision for some time, I genuinely believed we were working towards the same future. I was completely blindsided.”
After a few days of radio silence, Filip shared his own statement on Instagram — albeit a rather brief one.
“I initially chose not to comment publicly because I didn’t want to contribute to online negativity. All I will say is, I’m not going to debate our relationship on social media. I respect what we shared, wish Stella the best, and I’m moving forward with peace and gratitude,” he posted.
Stella commented on Filip’s post to ask their fans to stop ‘making assumptions’ about their split. “Guys, this really needs to stop,” she wrote.
“Whatever assumptions are being made online, the reality is that this is someone I genuinely believed I was going to spend my life with. Seeing so much hate directed at another human being is heartbreaking.
“Our relationship ending doesn’t make either of us villains. We were two people trying to navigate something incredibly difficult, and call me delulu but breakups do hurt on either sides,” she continued.
“I don’t think I’m the only one hurting here, so seeing this is actually making me sick. Yes, it came as a blindsided decision, but at the end of the day, YOU DON’T have to choose sides!!!!! Please just choose kindness. Neither of us deserves abuse.”
MAFS’ Stella reflects on her relationship with Filip after their split
In an Instagram Story, Stella reflected on the relationship, sharing an image of herself wearing a dress and long hair extensions that she had intended to be an anniversary present for Filip.
“This was supposed to be an anniversary surprise. Instead, it became a love letter to myself,” she wrote. “It’s funny how the things we plan for someone else sometimes become exactly what we need. A reminder that my life didn’t stop because a chapter ended,” she continued.
“Healing rarely happens all at once. It happens in tiny decisions. A fresh set of hair. A new outfit. A walk.
A smile that returns before you’re ready for it. One day, you’ll realise the light never actually left. You just had to find your way back to it.”
MAFS’ Stella denies claims she was never moving to Melbourne
In Stella’s longer statement, she again refuted reports that she wasn’t planning to relocate. “I had made the decision to move to Melbourne. I own a business that I’ve spent years building, so it wasn’t as simple as packing a suitcase. I needed a few months to wrap things up, end leases and put everything in place before relocating,” she said.
“As our relationship grew, I believed moving to Melbourne made the most sense for us. It offered more family support, better work opportunities for Filip and a more affordable place for us to build a life together.”
Stella added that her desire to have kids soon played a part in the move — but she was ‘blindsided’ when Filip ended their engagement over the phone. “Starting a family has been something I’ve hoped for for a long time. I genuinely thought we were making those decisions together. Instead, I received a phone call ending our relationship,” she wrote.
“I am heartbroken, deeply saddened and, if I’m honest, incredibly embarrassed that something I believed in so wholeheartedly didn’t work out the way I had hoped. While I respect that everyone has the right to choose what’s best for them, I also feel it’s important that the facts are clear.”
Given that Stella disclosed that Filip ended their eight-month engagement via a phone call, the MAFS groom has been met with immense backlash online.
Stella’s statement follows the Ukrainian influencer sharing a much more cryptic Instagram post with her followers. “It would be easy to tell this story by deciding who was right and who was wrong. To point fingers. To protect my ego. To pretend I was perfect. But no,” her post began.
“I’m not here for that. Far from it. I made mistakes. I have regrets.”
She went on to say that her short-lived engagement to Filip had taught her many lessons about relationships and herself. “Life has a beautiful way of teaching us. Sometimes gently. And sometimes, when we miss the gentle lessons… Life delivers one that’s heartbreakingly loud. This one was loud. Boy, was it loud,” she wrote.
“This relationship quietly revealed something I couldn’t see before. Sometimes, sitting quietly beside that ambition… was fear.”
Read Stella’s full post below:
In a further comment, Stella shared some choice words about the MAFS relationship. “I’d rather be remembered for my honesty than admired for a version of myself that simply is fake,” she wrote.
“I’d rather be seen as deeply human… than perfectly curated. Maybe that’s what being human really is. Not getting every chapter right. Not avoiding heartbreak. Not always knowing how to love perfectly.”
She ended the comment, reflecting that “If this chapter has taught me anything, it’s this: The person I become because of this pain matters far more than the pain itself.”
It appears that both Filip and Stella have removed some of their most recent photos together from Instagram. However, he is still tagged in some old posts, suggesting that he hasn’t been blocked. That said, Stella doesn’t appear to be tagged in Filip’s posts, which could mean that he has blocked his ex-fiancée.
Why did MAFS’ Stella and Filip split?
A source originally told the Daily Mail their breakup was partly due to their finances. “Stella has always been very ambitious and wanted someone who could provide the lifestyle she was looking for,” the insider claimed.
“She wanted a partner who could really support her financially, and she didn’t feel Filip was in that position.”
Apparently, they’ve largely been living separate lives for the past few months. “With Filip based in Melbourne for work and Stella spending more time with friends in Sydney, they were living quite separate lives,” the source added.
In conflicting reports, Daily Mail’s source claimed that Stella initiated the split. “Filip is absolutely heartbroken,” the insider said.
“He genuinely thought they had a future together, but he’s trying to keep himself busy by throwing himself into work and spending as much time as possible with his family in Melbourne.”
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