It looked like it was well and truly done and dusted when Married At First Sight star Steven Danyluk declared on national TV he was “going to put a bullet” in his relationship with Rachel Gilmore.
But just days after he left his on-screen bride in tears, the star claims the truth about what went on between them was “not that simple”.
Five months on from the reunion episode that left MAFS fans shocked, Steven told Pedestrian he had regrets.
“They put a gun to my head, it felt like…” he told the outlet, explaining that he and Rachel had mutually agreed their relationship wasn’t going to work ahead of the reunion, but that they “didn’t want to break up”.
The reality star said that he felt “so pressured” by the environment he was in – which included MAFS expert John Aiken giving him a grilling – that he felt in “such a corner” he “said the dumbest thing”.
“I probably just should’ve argued and said, ‘Nah, f**k you, I do want to be in this, I just f**ked up this little bit, I need to work on it again’,” he told Pedestrian.
“I just felt like I f**ked it all up because of my busy life in Sydney,” he said. “I mean, I’ve got a business that I closed, I’m trying to find a place to live again, I put it all on hold, and I’ve got finances. I was battling a health problem at the same time as well. I just couldn’t give that attention right now, and she’s 900km away.”
Steven’s latest comments come as he and Rachel were snapped getting cosy at a MAFS reunion wrap party in Sydney on April 12.
The event – at Noir nightclub – saw Rachel, 35, wrap her arms around her ex in a tight and emotional embrace.
Another snap from the night showed Steven, 34, leaning in close to his former partner and whispering into her ear as the pair had what looked like an intense chat.
Talking previously on the It’s A Lot with Abbie Chatfield podcast, Rachel revealed that Steven – who’s based in New South Wales – had visited her in Melbourne not long after filming wrapped, but the entire visit was “awkward” and he had told her that he really needed to “focus on work”.
“I said, ‘Do you think about our relationship when you’re thinking about these things?’ And it was, ‘Well, of course I do Rachel,’” she explained on the podcast.
“He didn’t love me for me, because he didn’t love me,” she said.
