Married at First Sight‘s Steve Burley showed a more tender, emotional side to himself this week as he opened up about his son, and how much he misses him.
But according to his son, Tony, Steve’s sob story was all lies!
WATCH: MAFS’ Steve is BLASTED by Cyrell for poor behaviour
The 33-year-old told Daily Mail this week that after his parents split in 1991, Steve went awol.
‘We later found out he moved to Australia and that was it. I have seen him once in 29 years since and he’s never met his grandchildren.’
MAFS viewers were under the impression that Steve had a relationship with his UK-based only child, but Tony wants Australia to know that his father is the one who severed contact.
Tony shared this heartbreaking memory. ‘When I was six I was living with my grandparents and he promised he’d come to see me and take me for a pub lunch – but he never turned up.
‘I sat at the window all day waiting. I never spoke to him after that until I was an adult. My mum tried to get in touch with him, but nothing.’
It was years later that Tony and his mum learned Steve had moved to Australia and started a new life.
‘I last seen him about eight years ago when he came back to the UK. He told me that he had testicular cancer and I should get myself checked.
‘I was angry at him for most of my life and didn’t want to see him at first, but he promised he really wanted to build a relationship with me. And then nothing.’
A heartbroke Tony added: ‘He only cares about himself and abandoned me.
‘I really do think that things would have been different in my life if I had a male role model and a dad. He’s never taught me anything.
‘The only thing that I’ve learnt from him never being around is to do the opposite of that and never leave my children. That’s why I’m now a single full-time dad,’ he said.
But wait, there’s more!
Tony said producers for the show had contacted him about flying to Oz to appear on MAFS, but he declined.
‘A producer called me months ago wanting to fly me over and surprise him because apparently he was crying about missing me. I thought it was a joke.
‘He’s acting like a saint on TV.’
This week, Steve broke down in tears about missing his son.
‘I’ve got no family around me, all I’ve got is a business and my friends,’ he explained to wife Mishel.
‘I love my son, Shel,’ he said. ‘And he was due to come over here and I hadn’t said anything to anyone or told anyone, I was super excited about it. I haven’t seen him for so long,’ he said, crying into a handkerchief.
‘It’s clear I don’t like talking about it,’ Steve said in a piece to camera.
It would have been really good to see him.’
Hmm.
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