Why did Rachel and Steven from MAFS split up?

A Married At First Sight star has opened up about what really happened away from the cameras

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Rachel and Steven seemed like they would stay together(Image: E4)

One of the stars of this year’s Married At First Australia has opened up on what really happened after filming finished.

Fans of the unique dating reality series have finally been able to watch the Final Vows of the remaining couples. At the beginning of the series, more than a dozen strangers tied the knot as soon as they met.

However, only four couples made it all the way to the last ceremony. During this time, they are expected to make the ultimate decision about their relationship and if they wish to continue working on their marriage in the outside world.

Despite one of those couples, Rachel and Steven, both saying ‘yes’ during their vows, things did not work out once the cameras stopped rolling. Not long after filming, it was confirmed the couple had called it quits.

But what happened exactly? What caused the pair to split up after it all seemed well during Final Vows? Here’s all you need to know.

Why did Rachel and Steven from MAFS split up?

Throughout their time on Married At First Sight, Rachel and Steven had plenty of ups and downs. They had to steadily build up their intimacy and compatibility as a couple.

However, by the time Final Vows came around, it seemed like everything was running smoothly. Steven told Rachel in the episode: “I am falling for you. Rachel, I choose you and I’m diving in head first, fearless.”

Despite supposedly being married, he even asked her to be his girlfriend, which she was more than happy to accept. However, they split just weeks after leaving the experiment.

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The couple split not long after filming finished(Image: Channel 4)

Confirming the news on Instagram Rachel said she was ‘heartbroken’. She added: “Grieving not just the love that was, but the future she thought she was building. The plans, the quiet promises, the version of forever that lived so vividly in my mind.”

Recently, she revealed their break up actually came right before filming for the reunion episodes were due to start. In an interview with Australian publication New Day, she also shared what exactly went wrong.

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It seems one of the biggest issues was trying to continue their relationship long-distance. Rachel said: “I was willing to put in the effort, but ultimately it happened exactly the way I was concerned it was going to happen. Steven went back to life in Sydney. He was busy with work, and I became a burden. I was the burden, and I had to be dropped.”

She continued: “He said some outrageous things to me, such as how coming to visit me was a hassle … There was always something that would come up, another priority, something more important than me and our relationship.

“When Steven did come see me in Melbourne, he said, ‘I don’t think I can give you what you need. I think you need a man who can actually give you what you want.’ We circled in this conversation until I went, ‘so I guess we’re done then?’ And he looks at me, and I said, ‘Well, you’ve dumped me about 15 times now.”

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In the aftermath of her break up, Rachel went on a girls trip to Thailand with co-star, Alissa Fay, who has since found herself a new relationship after her own split. Alissa posted a video clip of their time away and captioned it: “A slice of Thailand chaos…unhinged belly laughs, a few questionable life choices, and iconic duo behaviour that probably shouldn’t be left unsupervised.”

Rachel has also claimed that during her time away, she discovered Steven was not always completely honest. She says there were times during filming Steven would tell her he was at the gym, when apparently he was grabbing a coffee with fellow groom Danny Hewitt.

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Rachel has opened up about the split(Image: Seven One International/E4)

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However, she maintains she has no regrets and is pleased she did not try and uproot her life in Sydney. Meanwhile, Steven’s most recent social media account posts include him attending events, playing music with MAFS co-star Joel and hanging out with other former grooms including Danny, David and Sam.

Although he did share a video on TikTok where he confessed: “The truth is things didn’t end the way I hoped, there is big regret, massive regret. I know I’ve lost something special. I’ve had a lot of time to reflect and really sit with my actions, my words, and the moments I wish I handled differently.”

After “realised his wrongdoings”, Steven continued that he would be “taking it one step at a time improving day by day.”