Married at First Sight's Ryan Donnelly accuses TV wife Jacqui Burfoot of 'rape' comment as she announces new relationship

Viewers have been watching as the relationship between Donnelly, aged 36, and Burfoot, age 29, has become even more strange and strained in recent weeks.

The pair, who were one of the couples matched as part of Married at First Sight season 12, have baffled viewers, their fellow cast mates and also the relationship experts, as they have blown extremely hot and cold with each other.

Experts Alessandra Rampolla, John Aiken and Mel Schilling have accused the pair of “flip flopping”, as they quickly change between having heated rows in which they declare they are not compatible at all to declaring their deep affection for each other and even discussing children.

But, the pair have since broken MAFS rules by revealing their relationship did not last beyond the experiment before the show has finished airing. On her Instagram, Jacqui has accused her TV husband of revenge porn, while Ryan hit back at her ‘abuse’ claims on his own social media and labelled her a “pathological/compulsive liar’.

Now, Ryan has returned to his Instagram and has accused Jacqui of making a shocking ‘rape’ comment in an unaired scene from the hugely popular dating show. She has denied this - and also unveiled her relationship with a fellow MAFS groom.

The TV husband claims that during their honeymoon, a seemingly innocent joke turned into a nightmare when Jacqui made an allegation on camera that was so serious Channel Nine bosses immediately stopped production and assured him the recording would not be aired.

“There was a situation where we were just enjoying ourselves, having some banter in the hotel room. There was a pillow menu, one of them was for pregnant women and I made a stupid joke,' Ryan explained.

“I said ‘be careful, these arms can cause pregnancies." It was just cheeky banter. But she sat up and started interrogating me about it, like full-on interrogation. Asking if I'd gotten women pregnant before, if I had a criminal record.”

Explaining the situation further, he said that he had made his “stupid joke” because the pair were originally engaging in light-hearted flirty banter and Jacqui had called the reception to ask for the pregnancy pillow, but had told him she didn’t really need any pillows because she had his arms.

He alleged the situation escalated dramatically when Jacqui then changed her tone and “angrily” asked him if he’d got a woman pregnant before. He said she was on to “viciously interrogate” him about his past relationships in front of the MAFS production crew.

He went on to say that Jacqui had “forced” him to reveal a “traumatic experience” from his past, where he and his ex had been “careless” and had become pregnant, but had made the “healthy, joint” decision to end the pregnancy “very early” as they “were not ready to be parents”.

He claimed on his Instagram, @ryp_society, that a producer had to step in and stop the conversation, and they then reassured him that he footage would not be used.

Jacqui then supposedly further blindsided Ryan at the very first commitment ceremony and brought it up - but that also did not make the edit of the show. “The first thing she did was sit down in front of the experts and the entire group and said ‘Ryan, why don't you tell them about the joke you made?’”

“Then, out of nowhere, she linked it to rape culture and sexual consent. She yelled across the room she'll always stand up for women's rights, particularly when it concerns rape. I was absolutely gobsmacked. The entire room went silent. The experts leaned forward and asked her to clarify what she meant. She went white as a ghost.”

Production immediately cut filming and Ryan says Channel Nine executives even advised him to get legal advice after Jacqui’s comments. “They came running into the room, told me it was horrific and said ‘that is never going to air.’ They offered me support, told me to get legal advice and made sure I was protected,” he said.

Ryan went on to say he sought legal advice immediately. “I called my best mate, who's a solicitor, and told him everything. I was terrified. That kind of allegation, even unfounded, can follow a man for life.”

Ryan remained in the experiment, but said the incident left him unable to connect with Jacqui emotionally or physically. “I was so traumatised. How do you move forward with someone after that? Every time she complained I wasn't being intimate with her, I was screaming inside. I was scared of what she might accuse me of next”, he said.

'She sat there on camera, saying I wasn't giving her enough attention, enough sex . . . and the whole time I was terrified.'

Jacqui has since denied Ryan's accusation. “Omfg! I DID NOT ACCUSE RYAN OF RAPE. I told that man it’s not funny to make jokes about getting woman pregnant via his strength”, she said in a comment on social media.

Following the show's broadcast, Jacqui made a series of public claims accusing Ryan of being emotionally abusive and manipulative towards her, something he strongly denies. Jacqui has also spoken out against the way she was treated by others connected to the show, claiming she had to “complain so many times during filming about how disrespectful the experts, and the group were, and even the producers”.

At the same time as Ryan made his allegation against her, Jacqui has seeminly officially revealed her relationship with fellow groom Clint Rice, 43. Clint was paired up with Lauren Hall, aged 35, but their romance didn’t last long.

Jacqui and Clint met each other at one of the experiment’s weekly dinner parties, where all the couples enjoy dinner and drinks while they discuss what’s been happening in their relationships that week.

The TV bride has been teasing her relationship with Clint on her Instagram page, @jacquelineleejewellery, for the last few weeks - but has not officially revealed her new beau’s identity by posting images where his face is covered. In one image, his face is covered by her hair as she leans in to kiss him, and in another a giant emoji has been placed over his face.

But, it’s the worst kept secret as leaks revealed Jacqui and Clint are currently in a relationship weeks ago. In fact, in another bombshell, Ryan revealed Jacqui's relationship with Clint began long before the cameras stopped rolling.

“She admitted to me one night she called Clint at 3am while we were still married. She was upset about the experiment, about me and called him to vent. My suspicions were confirmed later when I found out she was messaging Clint the entire time. I felt betrayed. Why didn't she just leave the experiment and pursue that relationship openly?,” he said.

He then claimed he had offered to stay friends with Jacqui outside of the experiment but she refused. She has not responded to these claims.

Over on her Instagram, Jacqui posted a video of her and Clint clinking wine glasses and smiling at each other when they were seated next to each other at a MAFS dinner party. She simply captioned the video “cheers”, but many MAFS fans took this as official confirmation of her romance with Clint.

Their thoughts were seemingly confirmed, however, by a comment left by fellow bride Morena Farina, 57. She wrote: “We were on Married at First Sight, and while I wasn’t so lucky as I was matched with an unavailable man, I couldn’t be happier for you both.

“Out of the ten couples the experts put together for this experiment, you two are the only ones who truly found love through this s*** show what a whirlwind.”

Appearing to make a dig at Ryan, she added: “From a Kia to a Ferrari. Absolutely, Clint! You’re just adorable, both of you are beautiful inside and out. Can’t wait to see you again!”

Channel Nine has not responded to any of the allegations made by Jacqui or Ryan.

* Anyone who has been victim of rape, sexual assault, or any form of sexual abuse – whether recent or non-recent – is asked to contact police. Information about sexual abuse support services can be found on the NHS website.