Married At First Sight UK star Jordan Emmett-Connelly has issued an emotional apology to former partner Chanita Stephenson after it was revealed the pair had split following the end of the marriage experiment.
The pair were favourites among viewers of the E4 reality show, facing few stumbling blocks throughout their time in front of the camera. They had easily become the golden couple of the 2022 series and fans were sure they were set to go the distance.
They were seen renewing their vows during the final episodes of the 2022 series last week. But that wasn't really the end of the hit show as there was still a final dinner party to come and on Monday night (October 17), MAFS fans got to see the first part of the 20-strong reunion as the 10 couples, whether still together or not, came face-to-face once more.
And the biggest shock came when Chanita arrived to the reunion solo, with husband Jordan nowhere to be seen. Their co-stars gasped when they saw her arrive alone and she was soon shedding tears as she was left overwhelmed by arriving solo for the first time since walking down the aisle to marry Jordan.
"When we came out of the experiment, everything just changed," she started to tell Adrian, Gemma, and Kasia. "Basically, I kept saying ‘I feel like you’re not interested in me, you’re not making an effort, you’re not doing this’, and he’s all, ‘no, no, no, I can’t wait to see you’ - and then I was right!."
She then said: "And then he was like, 'oh, I don’t think we’re compatible, I don’t want to be with you' - it was really weird." Jordan then made an energetic appearance and it wasn't until later, in heartbreaking scenes, the former couple opened up about why their marriage hadn’t worked.
But since the reunion episode aired, Jordan has remained quiet on social media but returned on Friday (October 21) to share a lengthy statement in which he apologised to former social worker Chanita. The 29-year-old shared a photo of the pair to Instagram and began: "So you may have noticed I have been really quiet on my socials lately, I needed to give myself adequate time to digest/reflect on the experience and to then get myself into a position to tackle everyone’s opinion and the hate which comes with it.
"I can't express how difficult it has been to deal with the fact that I have upset Chanita to the extent I have, I am not a bad person, but I handled the situation badly, and I take full accountability and have learnt an important lesson. If I could turn back the clock and change things I would but unfortunately, that’s not possible.
"As with anyone in the world, I have my own feelings and my own flaws. I don’t handle my emotions the best at times, I sometimes don’t think logically and my impulsiveness gets me into situations that I don’t want to be in."
He went on to say: "Regardless of what you may think of me, I can wholeheartedly say that I went into that process 100% myself, I wasn’t trying to portray a certain image, I wasn’t playing up the cameras, I didn’t want to be anything after the show, and I certainly wasn’t trying to fake a relationship. All I wanted was to find love.
"I think going into these shows you need to remind yourself that you are open for judgement, regardless of the tiny percentage of your relationship that people see, and that you need to fully accept and appreciate the opinion of those watching.
"I am getting plenty of messages telling me that I will never get better, how I have messed up and how I am an idiot (they are phrased a bit more harshly), but I need to remind myself that I have my own feelings, and I am the only person accountable for my feelings."
Speaking of his former partner, Jordan said: "Chanita is an amazing person, I still have strong feelings and I care for her more than she will ever know. From the bottom of my heart, all I want is for her to be happy. I am so grateful that we shared this experience together. We have laughed, cried, and experienced every other emotion in between with each other.
"We truly seen and done it all, and I love us for that. We continue to speak every day, and I will do everything I can to try and keep her in my life." He ended by typing: "Thank you for the love and support, it’s been a crazy ride."
MAFS co-star Kasia London replied: "Good on you Jord. Respect." While her former partner Kwame Badu wrote: "We love you we always will and we fully understand you King. You reminded us all what love is and how beautiful it can be to meet someone amazing like @chanita__x Wishing you both love and light - now get back to posting regular we miss this smile."
MAFS UK series six star Amy Christophers also responded to Jordan's post, writing: "You’re both amazing!! Sending love to you guys."
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