It’s the show that promises a fairytale ending as a cast of hopefuls looking for love meet their other half in a blind reveal at the altar.
But behind the stylish wedding dresses, rose petals and romantic honeymoons one of this year’s Married At First Sight contestants had an experience far from her happily ever after.
Starring on the most recent series of the Australian version of the show, which finished airing in the UK last month, Veronica Cloherty has revealed she was a ‘pawn in a game of chess’ as she opened up about her harmful experience on the show.
The Sydney-based actress, 32, was a late addition to the series and was matched with controversial groom Eliot Donovan, who had already walked out on his first marriage in the experiment after deciding after just three days Lauren Hall wasn’t the one for him.
Gifted with a second chance by the experts, Eliot was matched with Veronica and while the public watched him have a whole character redemption, it was Veronica who became the show’s villain and has since been subject to cruel trolling online.
Now, for the first time since leaving the experiment, Veronica has broken her silence as she accused the show’s bosses of manipulating the edit and claimed she was left with ‘no voice’.
Married At First Sight Australia star Veronica Cloherty has revealed she felt like a ‘pawn in a game of chess’ and had ‘no voice’ as she breaks her silence on the experiment and accuses show’s bosses of manipulating the edit
The Sydney-based actress, 32, was a late addition to the show and was matched with controversial groom Eliot Donovan, who had already walked out on his first marriage
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline about her experience she confessed: ‘It became very apparent to me very quickly that I was a side piece in a bigger story and learning that Eliot had already been on the show kind of blindsided me right from the start.’
Despite seeming to click at the wedding and enjoying a fun honeymoon together, it was soon clear that the couple were not best suited and a series of explosive rows erupted between them.
More often than not it was Veronica who appeared to be the more unreasonable of the two as she stormed out of the apartment after Eliot opened up about his sister’s terrifying diabetic diagnosis when she slipped into a coma when he was just nine-years-old.
Reflecting on how she has been represented in the scenes aired, Veronica admitted: ‘The edit didn’t make any sense to me.
‘The Eliot that I experienced was closer to the Eliot that was first portrayed. I had difficulties with him from the wedding, and we had tense conversations throughout our honeymoon that were uncomfortable, that were disrespectful.’
During the honeymoon the audience watched Eliot’s sensitive reaction when Veronica opened up about her endometriosis battle, however Veronica has now claimed that the real response she received was ‘not what the audience saw.’
She continued: ‘It’s just been really challenging for me to grapple with how it’s all been portrayed publicly and then also how I felt being in that situation.
‘There were many moments where I wanted to leave and I was having those conversations prior to even getting to the dinner party.
Reflecting on how she has been represented and vilified in the edit, Veronica admitted: ‘The edit didn’t make any sense to me’
Reflecting on the letter task she said: ‘I was really feeling quite trapped and very isolated, just with him and I guess that resulted in me having this panic attack’
She said: ‘None of my efforts were shown. None of my patience was shown. None of my tolerance of like, constant disrespect was shown’
‘I was not feeling good. There weren’t any moments that I felt comfortable.’
She added: ‘No one really saw my experience at all. I would even go so far as to say, even from the beginning when I was portrayed favourably, that wasn’t an accurate depiction of how I was feeling because I wasn’t.
‘I didn’t feel safe. I didn’t feel comfortable.’
Claiming the letter the audience heard Eliot read was not what he read to her, Veronica explained that after that task she broke down and even suffered a panic attack.
‘I read my letter, which doesn’t see the light of day. And personally speaking I unfortunately have been through a little bit in my life and I shared openly about that.
‘His response to me was “no wonder you have trust issues.” And that was the end of that conversation.’
Suggesting Eliot was coached by production to make his letter seem more dramatic for the edit that would make the show as she added: ‘I truly do believe that they were kind of advising him on what to say.’
She continued: ‘I was really feeling quite trapped and very isolated, just with him and I guess that resulted in me having this panic attack.’
Veronica explained she asked to leave the experiment on multiple occasions, but was persuaded by production to stay and represent women who can stand up for themselves in difficult relationships.
‘I mean, there’s obviously a contract in place, and that was often brought to the table.
‘I said to production “If one woman can see this interaction and learn something from it and maybe realise or relate in their own relationship, and see that this is not how it’s meant to be and that we as women can say no to these types of behaviours and we can stand up for ourselves.
‘It should be celebrated that you’re standing up for yourself and you shouldn’t be demonised and called crazy and loud because you speak your mind and you say when something isn’t right.
Later in the experiment during the partner swap task, Veronica was paired up with fellow groom Dave Hand and has now admitted: ‘I knew was going to get stitched up’
Veronica explained she asked to leave the experiment on multiple occasions, but was persuaded by production to stay and represent women who can stand up for themselves in difficult relationships
‘And they [production] sort of use that against me. I said that many times in my chat to cameras. I said “if I stay here and go through this, and women can relate to this circumstance then it will have been worth it for me”.’
Later in the experiment during the partner swap task, Veronica enjoyed a few days away from her husband and was paired up with fellow groom Dave Hand.
As Veronica and Dave were seen immediately hitting it off, their time together became crucial to the breakdown of Dave and his wife Jamie Marinos relationship.
‘I knew was going to get stitched up,’ said Veronica: ‘I knew that I was a pawn in the game of chess. I knew that I had no voice.’
She added: ‘I was genuinely hurt cause I did really try. I was trying so hard and none of that was shown.
‘None of my efforts were shown. None of my patience was shown. None of my tolerance of constant disrespect was shown.’
Speaking about the level of online hate she has experienced since leaving the experiment she confessed: ‘Look, it’s been really difficult.
‘I actually got my TikTok back yesterday and there’s more than like 3000 messages in there and pretty much every single one of them is advising me to take my own life.’
Since the experiment aired Eliot has become a TikTok star himself boasting 279,000 followers, with some of his content referring to him and Veronica’s relationship and the toxic dynamics between them.
Discussing his social media presence, Veronica said: ‘He’s basically targeted me. In all of his content, and all of it is negative, all of it is degrading.
‘Even though he’s gotten a fantastic edit, even though everything came up for him positively in terms of the representation on the show, he still for some reason has committed himself to denigrating me as a person.
‘And to be honest, I haven’t spoken out prior to now because I’m in fear of A having to relive what I went through when I was stuck with him in the apartments, and B, anything that I’m saying is being used against me.
‘He’s discredited me before I’ve even had the opportunity to speak out on my own.’
Veronica has been using therapy to work through her experience on the show as she admitted it has been hard on her mental health.
‘I have really been struggling with the amount of bullying that I’m receiving online and the trolling from Eliot directly and I guess other cast members like jumping on the bandwagon to demonise me.’
Accusing the network and production of providing her with no support she claimed: ‘I’ve had no voice. The network has given me no voice.
‘There’s a reason that I haven’t had a voice and haven’t been able to speak about my experience and it’s because I’ve been specifically blocked to do so because the truth of my experience doesn’t match the narrative.
Since the experiment aired Eliot has become a TikTok star himself, with some of his content referring to him and Veronica’s relationship and the toxic dynamics between them
Asked what guidance has been available to her from the network and production she replied: ‘Very little. It’s actually quite disappointing that there hasn’t been any support really’
‘And that would be very inconvenient for people, in charge, I guess.’
Asked what guidance has been available to her she replied: ‘Very little. It’s actually quite disappointing that there hasn’t been any support really.
‘They’ve got this kind of online app, which is just so vague and non-specific to what we’re going through.
‘But the fact that there isn’t that support in place, it just has you thinking where does the duty of care lie?
‘If they’re willing to let me in the public eye now struggle through bullying and trolling in the way that I have without any support imagine what they’re allowing on the show.
‘What they’re creating it’s a manufactured environment.’
MailOnline have contacted MAFS representatives and Eliot for comment.
So if she could turn back time, would she do the show again?
‘If I could go back, I would honour the truth of how I felt. I wouldn’t say to myself, “I’m resilient and I have tolerance and whatever.”
‘I would honour myself and I would leave immediately, without delay. I didn’t do that, and I did myself a massive disservice because I should have stayed true to myself.
Asked what she would do differently she explained: ‘I would honour myself and I would leave immediately, without delay. I didn’t do that, and I did myself a massive disservice’
‘I allowed myself to be manipulated when my gut was telling me. “Get the f**k out of here” And I didn’t listen. That’s my biggest takeaway is to always trust my gut.
‘And at the end of the day it’s another experience and I wouldn’t write reality TV off TV off completely, but I probably would do it very differently.’
Looking to the future she added: ‘I’ve got some projects that I’m working on that are really promising and I’m really focused heavily focusing on my acting career.
‘My priorities lie with my family and with my career and my passions and that’s really what all I’m focusing on at the moment.
‘It was a great experience, but I’m ready to leave it behind and I need to just get on with my life now and do beautiful things that I enjoy.’
