MARRIED At First Sight bride Stephanie Marshall says she has completely shut the door on Tyson, revealing she blocked him, his sister and one of his groomsmen after the experiment ended.
Speaking after her dramatic exit from the show, the Wellington Point real estate agent made it clear there has been no post-show reconciliation and no desire to revisit the relationship.
“Absolutely not. He tried to call me and I blocked him. His sister tried contacting me and I blocked her too. One of his groomsmen messaged me on Facebook and I blocked him as well. I’ve completely closed that chapter,” Ms Marshall said.
Her comments come after viewers watched Tyson walk out of the experiment during a tense commitment ceremony — a moment Ms Marshall said was painful to watch back.
“Watching it back, I felt sad in the moment, but I knew it was coming so I was somewhat prepared. At the time though it was really upsetting,” she said.
“I was so disappointed because the investment from me going into the experiment was huge. I put everything on hold. I was away from my comfort zone, my friends, my family, my routine and my dog. It was a big commitment and I just felt incredibly disappointed.”
The emotional moment escalated when Ms Marshall removed her wedding ring and threw it to the floor.
“Probably both,” she said when asked if the moment was driven by frustration or heartbreak.
“In that moment I was just like, well I don’t need this anymore. Obviously I still had to wear it for the sake of the show, but at the time I was just so frustrated and annoyed. I felt completely let down. I didn’t want any association with him whatsoever.”
Relationship expert Mel Schilling also broke from the panel to comfort Ms Marshall — something rarely seen on the show.
“I think she could just sense how upset and frustrated I was,” Ms Marshall said.
“Everyone could see that I was there for the right reasons. To feel cheated of the experience was really upsetting and I think she genuinely recognised that.”
Despite the dramatic walkout, Ms Marshall said she was not surprised by Tyson’s decision.
“No, I wasn’t surprised at all. That was typical behaviour for him. Anytime things got hard or I raised how I was feeling, he would spit the dummy, throw the toys out of the cot and leave the room,” she said.
“What’s interesting is we both actually wrote ‘stay’ that week. We had some good moments leading up to it, but I had started biting my tongue and suppressing how I felt because I didn’t want another argument.”
Ms Marshall said she had prepared a list of issues she planned to raise with the relationship experts during the ceremony.
“I actually had a whole list of things written in my journal that I planned to raise at the commitment ceremony,” she said.
“I didn’t pull it out because I thought it might be confronting, but I definitely had things I wanted to talk about.”
Looking back, however, she said she would not change how she handled the moment.
“No, not at all. I had to be true to myself. I wasn’t going to stay in the experiment just for the sake of staying there. I was hoping we could work through the challenges with the experts and get constructive feedback, but he just walked out.”
While the television relationship may have ended in turmoil, Ms Marshall says life after the experiment has taken a far more positive turn.
Despite the rocky experience, she has since found love — with a surprising connection to her real estate career.
“I sold him a house whilst I was in the experiment. But obviously we didn’t meet until after I came home,” she said.
The pair met again during a pre-settlement inspection and have now been dating for about six months.
“It’s going really well. We’ve said the L word,” she said.
Ms Marshall said her new partner — who runs his own business in the cars and technology sector — is “worlds apart” from Tyson.
“He’s amazing and completely different… really supportive of me and loves my ambition,” she said.
The experience has also strengthened her message to young women navigating relationships and career ambitions.
“Go after it. If someone doesn’t support your ambition then they’re not the right person for you. Back yourself and do what makes you happy,” she said.
