MAFS groom Paul speaks about door punching incident and explains where he stands with TV wife Carina now

30-year-old Paul, who was a fan favourite with MAFS Australia viewers until a door punching scandal erupted after a heated row with his on-screen wife Carina Mirabile, has given his first indepth interview since the show aired.

He’s spoken about the door punching incident, which led to police being called to the apartment he shared with Carina, for the first time, and has also revealed where he stands with his TV wife today - along with why he thinks the producers deliberately kept certain footage of him out of the final edit of the show.

Speaking to the DailyMail Australia, Paul said he had found it “overwhelming” to relive everything that happened in the experiment since the show, which was actually filmed last year, aired earlier this year. “Watching the show brought back so many emotions. That's why I just stayed quiet. I couldn't be bothered with the post-show drama,” he said.

Paul has had his say on the off-camera altercation that happened between himself and Carina mid-way through the experiment, during which he punched a door. Along with a police investigation, this led to him being given a stern warning by the relationship experts and the production crew, and also being made to follow a strict set of rules so that he could remain on the show.

“I was mentally drained. We were filming 12 to 14 hours a day, and I was running on five hours of sleep. I just snapped,” he explained.

The incident happened after an argument with his Carina following a night out with co-stars Rhi Disljenkovic and Jeff Gobbels. While they were in a taxi on their way back to the apartment block all the MAFS couples were living in, Carina made a comment about having previously slept with a rapper when his song came on the radio. This is something Paul said he already knew about, but was shocked she brought up in front of their co-stars.

“It felt like she was bragging. It confused me. In her confession letter, she was ashamed of her past, and now it seemed like she was owning it proudly in front of everyone,” he explained. Back in their apartment, Carina realised Paul wasn’t happy about her sharing the information with Rhi and Jeff and apologised.

But, he said he felt her apologies were “deflective”. Shortly afterwards, exhaused and frustrated, Paul punched a hole in the couple’s bedroom door - but he says he instantly regretted it, and still does today. “It was unacceptable. I walked out of the room, and I lost control. The moment it happened, I instantly felt shame. I felt disgusted,” he said.

After the incident, production separated the couple for the night and it was discussed whether or not Paul would be removed from the show due to his behaviour. “They brought me into a private room the next day. I couldn't stop crying. I told them ‘if you need to kick me off, I understand’.” he said. “But they gave me another chance. I was so grateful. I wanted to make things right and show that wasn't who I am.”

Paul said that he had never acted in a way like that before in his life. “My friends, my family, they know me. That's not who I am. I've never lashed out like that.”

Paul and Carina made MAFS history when they met at the altar and realised they already knew each other. This had never happened before in the hit dating show’s ten year history. But, in this year’s season 12, this actually happened twice as Rhi and Jeff had also dated prior to meeting again on the show. Paul said: “I knew her from a date a year earlier. When she walked down the aisle, I thought ‘wait, no way, this is Carina’. was genuinely happy to see her.”

He went on to describe their early weeks together as “blissful”, saying they easily found they could have deep conversations but also enjoy the day-to-day parts of life together such as cooking meals. “We were one of the strongest couples. Living together was easy. We had a great rhythm,” the reality star declared.

But their relationship took a turn after the door punching incident, and Paul said he became withdrawn. “I felt like a shell of myself. I was ashamed. The judgment from others was hard to cope with”, he said.

The couple seemed to be moving on after what happened, but during the experiment’s Feedback Week, which came a week or so afterwards, Paul upset Carina further with what he said - and came under fire from experts John Aiken, Mel Schilling, and Alessandra Rampolla again.

During the course of the week, all the brides and grooms were asked to write an “honesty letter” to their partners. Paul said: “I was paired with Awhina [Rutene] for the task. I listed a few concerns I had about Carina, but they weren't major. I didn't know I'd have to read the letter to her — I thought it was just for Awhina.”

In the letter, Paul said he was “not attracted” to Carina at times, and he says he now regrets using that phrase. “It was a horrible word to use. I never should've said that. If I'd known she was going to read it, I would've written it differently,” he added. “I think that was the beginning of the end. The experts roasted me at the commitment ceremony. I was confused — I did the task and got slammed for it.”

Then, the final nail in the coffin came when Paul decided to take part in a new challenge created for season 12 - Final Task week. This saw all the brides and grooms being given an option to meet a potential new partner. Paul decided to meet his alternative match, while Carina did not, and she was left heartbroken by his choice. This is also something he now said he deeply regrets.

“I still don't know what I was thinking. Honestly, I don't even have an answer. It was so stupid,” he said. The TV husband said that he felt pressured to make a choice by producers. “Producers were like ‘come on, hurry up, what's your decision?’ I didn't think it through. I just went along with it like it was another task.” He also alleges thathe realised straight away that he’d made a mistake - but he wasn’t able to leave the date. “I remember thinking ‘I don't want to be here’. But I felt stuck. My producer said it was too late.”

Paul said when Carina was told of his choice she was devastated, and he knew deep down that their romance was likely over. “She was shattered. I knew I had hurt her. I knew in that moment our relationship was probably done,” he said.

But, while Paul does take responsability for his actions, he has also accused the production team of editing the show in a certain way to ensure the public only had one perception of him - and it wasn’t good. “The only thing people know about me is that I'm French and horny. That's the meme that went around — and honestly, it's kind of true based on what they aired,” he said.

The star also spoke about the backlash he’d received from viewers as the scences aired. “The show can be so toxic. The hate was intense,” he said. He added that he shared deep and vulnerable moments with Carina that were cut from the show. “They didn't show me opening up about my grandpa. They didn't show the beautiful conversations with my groomsmen. They didn't show my confession letter where I spoke about my heartbreaks and my hopes. It felt like they didn't want people to like me,” he said.

Paul did, however, credit the therapy he received on the show as helping to “save” him. “I took up their counselling offer. It saved me. I was struggling to forgive myself. That therapist helped me find peace,” he said.

Despite their heartbreaking Final Vows, in which Carina told Paul their relationship could not continue as the trust between them was broken as he sobbed, he said that he and his TV wife are now on good terms. “We're amicable. She came over to my place in Sydney after the show. I made us lunch, we sat by the pool, and we laughed about it all,” he said. “She's stunning. And she has a good heart. I have nothing but affection and admiration for her.”

Going into Final Vows, Paul said he had little hope but he understands why Carina walked away from their relationship. “I thought maybe she had forgiven me. But deep down, I knew I'd f**ked it. Even asking for her forgiveness again . . . I look back and think, the audacity. I kept making mistakes.”

He concluded the interview by talking about his biggest regrets -punching the door annd going on that “b****y” date. “If I could go back and change anything, it would be those two moments,” he said. But, he said the experience was still hugely helpful. “It broke me. But it also taught me who I am and who I want to be.”