Her Married At First Sight husband Dave might not have been the man for her in the end, but fan-favourite Jamie isn’t letting their break-up get her down.
With viewers still reeling at the pair announcing their split during the first reunion episode – after both saying yes to continuing on as a couple at their final Commitment Ceremony – Jamie tells New Idea she’s happily single and focusing on herself.
“Dave and I did maintain an amicable relationship for quite some time [after the experiment ended],” Jamie, 29, tells us exclusively.
“But I felt like after the reunion [our] communication died off, which I was disappointed about because I thought he really wanted to make a friendship, at least, work with me.”
As we walk around a park not far from her Melbourne home, Jamie admits it’s been hard to watch her relationship with Dave play out on TV, because she’s seen things she missed while in the thick of the filming.
“As I’ve watched the episodes back, I’ve had the opportunity to really see behaviour that I can’t excuse,” she explains.
“If you had to go back and watch you and your ex’s relationship, you probably would never speak to them again! Watching myself on TV has made me realise that sometimes, you’re not too much – your partner is just not enough.”
Jamie insists she hasn’t dated anyone since Dave, “in any shape, way or form”.
“Dave and I had such a beautiful story and were definitely a very strong couple for most of the experiment,” Jamie explains.
“So I didn’t want to spoil that. I didn’t think it would be fair to bring another person into a relationship while I was still trying to navigate my very real feelings [about Dave].
“Imagine being with someone, but still trying to process feelings about your ex. It wouldn’t be fair.”
Jamie describes her time on MAFS as being like ‘childbirth’.
“Even though I haven’t birthed a child (laughs), I know some mums say it’s the best and worst day of their life. It’s painful but ultimately they would do it all over again. That’s how I feel,” she says with a smile.
Jamie says having a family was a key driver for her going on the show – and she still has aspirations to be a mum.
Even though things didn’t work out with Dave, who she once thought she’d have “lots of babies” with, Jamie says she would “one thousand per cent” have a child on her own.
“Obviously that wouldn’t be my first option,” she says.
“But I would love to meet my person and make beautiful babies. To do that with someone you love is just the most amazing gift you can get from the universe.”
Jamie adds that she’d love for her child to grow up in a “healthy-as-it-can-be home dynamic”, but explains that “at the same time if I did it by myself, my child would be so bloody loved [they] wouldn’t even notice someone’s missing!”
“Despite everything I’ve been through on MAFS, I haven’t given up on love,” she shares.
“And I’m excited about what’s next for me.”
