Feedback Week has unearthed an ugly side to bride Carina Mirabile, who has been exposed for making disparaging remarks about the twin sister of fellow Married at First Sight bride Awhina Rutene.
In early March it was revealed that Cleo Rutene had previously dated Paul Antoine prior to him and Awhina being cast on MAFS.
It was also revealed that this unexpected casting co-incidence had been “addressed openly” off-camera when Awhina recognised Paul at the first dinner party of the season.
And now, Carina’s true feelings towards the situation have finally been aired, the emotional bride quick to express her discomfort over Awhina moving into the apartment she shared with Paul for the controversial couple swap challenge.
“You’ve already slept with her sister now you’re going to sleep in the same bed as her,” the brunette beauty vented.
“[I have] no hard feelings toward Awhina, but Awhina and her sister look identical so I don’t want Awhina moving into our apartment and sleeping in our bed with my husband. I’m just thinking about how I have the actively loan my husband out to Awhina when my husband has a history with her twin sister. It’s f****** weird,” she also cried to producers.
While Awhina was quick to respect Carina’s boundaries and slept on the couch instead, she did describe Carina’s reaction as “odd” considering how short-lived and long ago Cleo’s relationship with Paul was.
The groom in question echoed these sentiments, describing the situation as “weird” to producers, and admitted to Awhina that Carina had even made nasty remarks about her sister weeks prior when she found out about the history Cleo and Paul shared.
“I didn’t know you would go for that kind of caliber,” Carina allegedly said about Cleo.
Upon hearing this, Awhina was left feeling furious, especially considering she previously saw Carina as a friend.
“I would never ever say these things to people, where are you Carina in your life to say these things to people?” she responded.
“[Cleo] is beautiful, she’s an amazing auntie, she’s loving and I don’t like fake people, I don’t like people who think they are better than other people and I actually would have loved for Carina to say that comment to me.”
Cleo herself responded to this ugly revelation in a video posted to her Instagram stories shortly after the episode aired on March 10.
“I found it really, really shitty just because when I had seen leaked photos of Paul and Carina I was saying how beautiful she looked and how happy I am for them. I had spoken to Paul’s closest friends because I am on good terms with his friends and vice versa, and expressed how happy I was for them,” she shared.
“They had said they were getting along great and I was all in support. [But] for her to then turn around and say that I’m ‘low calibr’e based solely on my physical attributes was really shitty. We’re all out here trying to do better. Don’t judge anyone. That is what I call a mean girl 2.0.”
While Cleo is reportedly still single and Paul’s relationship with Carina is still playing out on screen, the former previously confirmed that prior to their respective involvement on the show they had spent several months seeing one another back in 2022.
Speaking with the Daily Mail, the 31-year-old revealed that after she ended an eight-year relationship that year, she and Paul connected and enjoyed a “whirlwind romance” before she called it quits with him.
“While I don’t feel my past relationship should be up for public discussion, I will comment now that it’s out there,” she told the publication.
“I met Paul in 2022, shortly after becoming single following an eight-year relationship. It was an instant spark, and we shared a whirlwind romance for a couple of months.”
However, their time together came to an end after Cleo realised she needed some time to focus on herself as she was still coming to terms with the end of her long-term relationship.
She also noted that while there were no lingering feelings between the pair and that she still felt feelings of friendship for her former flame, she did not condone his recent actions on-screen.
“I want to make it clear that I do not support his outburst. In the three years I’ve known Paul, he has never shown any aggression.”
She added that while this was “no excuse” she knew he would be “deeply disappointed in himself.”
“He’s genuinely a happy person who enjoys life, good company, and great food,” she continued.
