Married at First Sight’s Tori Adams has revealed why she and Jack Dunkley decided to break up.
Almost a month after they made the joint announcement about their split, the former bride spoke on the Confessions of a Reality Star podcast and said nothing bad happened.
“People I think are expecting this really juicy tea, someone did something really nasty to the other person, and it’s just vile, and it’s just not the case,” she explained.
“Effectively, Jack and I just never got to that point of falling deeply in love with one another. We have a lot of love for one another and we are the very best of friends, but it never eventuated into anything that would have us spend the rest of our lives together.”
After they chose to part ways, Tori said, “Not much has changed”. They still lived in the same apartment and went to the gym together. Being “this amicable” with an ex-partner felt strange for her, but she saw it as a positive.
Speaking to hosts Lachlan Guertin and Tahlia Pritchard, she said she was planning to return to Melbourne and did not want to think about dating.
An unexpected announcement for MAFS fans
The former MAFS couple, who found love during the 2024 season, made the shock announcement about their break-up on March 28, after almost two years together.
In a joint Instagram post at the time, the pair thanked their supporters for joining them on the “wild ride” that began when they first met while filming MAFS in mid-2023.
“However, today we come to you with heavy hearts,” they continued.
“As of a few weeks ago, we decided to end our romantic relationship. We remain the best of friends & still care for & respect one another deeply.”
“We are so grateful to have shared so many wonderful memories together & will cherish them forever,” they concluded.
Not a bitter end
Since the announcement, followers have continued to share their support for both MAFS contestants.
One fan even went as far as to say that Tori “can do better anyway”, in response to a TikTok video she put up where she was lip-syncing to audio from Sex and the City.
“I know you probably mean no harm by this message, but please don’t assume just because we aren’t together we don’t still love and care for each other,” Tori responded.
She captioned the post: “It feels too soon yet, so relatable and funny. Ps. guys I’m fine.”
After the initial break-up post, Jack thanked his followers for the kindness they had shown him and Tori after they went public with the announcement.
“We are extremely grateful and feeling overwhelmed. The update is [that] we are both doing really well. We have a lot of love and respect for each other,” he shared on his Instagram stories a day later.
Love beyond the experiment
Prior to their split, they were one of the only original couples to stay together after the experiment.
Speaking to New Idea in February 2025, Tori said she knew the relationship would develop “properly” after they left the show.
“When you are filming MAFS, you’re in such, I guess, a pressure cooker,” she said.
“So to come out of it and just kind of take a big deep breath and feel like ‘Okay, let’s go start this relationship properly’”.
She also spoke about the life they created together on the Gold Coast.
“It’s just us and it’s just really nice,” she said. “Nothing’s overly complicated. We’ve just created this really lovely, lovely life together.”
Despite all of the backlash from their time in the experiment, they showed their followers a sweeter side to their relationship before their split.
“This may shock you but Tori & I laughed every damn day,” Jack shared in an Instagram post from October 2024, along with a video of some of their vows.
Tori also weighed in, saying “I would go through that a million times over with you”.
Jack has also shared plenty of compliments on Tori’s Instagram posts too. “Glowing my darling,” he says in one, and “Ohhh I like this” in another with hearty eyes.
In early November that same year, Tori also posted a video captioned “The face I give Jack when he tells me no” – to which Jack replies “How could I say no”.
Envisioning a life together
Taking to her Instagram in July 2024, Tori wrote that she had “no idea” what she was in for when she signed up for the experiment, but had given the experts a list of what she wanted in a man.
The aspiring influencer then added that the experts had “delivered” by matching her with Jack.
In another post where she recalled jumping on a plane “to marry a stranger on national TV,” Jack said: “I know how much you hate planes. Not the journey we were hoping fo,r my baby however, the destination was better than we could have ever imagined. Your strength, courage & fierce loyalty have completed me.”
Tori posted a photo to her Instagram in late May holding a baby whom she called “little squish,” Jack commenting: “You look adorable holding that bubba honey 😍.”
Earlier that same month, they moved in together, and Jack took to his Instagram stories to respond to fan questions – one of which asked when he and Tori would be having kids.
“Tori and I are happy building a life we want to lead at the moment. Many things we wish to accomplish first. I’ve said two years,” the 35-year-old said at the time.
The personal trainer continued to talk very highly of his partner and mentioned the things he loved most about her.
“She’s a gorgeous person inside and out, loyal and driven and hilarious,” Jack said.
Hurdles on MAFS
Their ‘marriage’ was a hot topic during the 2024 season of MAFS. Their fellow contestants, fans of the show, and even the experts were left less than impressed by Jack’s behaviour – including his alleged cheating scandal with his ex-girlfriend Courtney Jade, and his offensive “muzzle your woman” and “whale” comments.
At each commitment ceremony, expert John Aiken grilled Jack on his misdemeanours and questioned why Tori put up with him. The couple consistently assured John that if Tori didn’t feel “safe, secure, or respected” in the relationship, she would have left the experiment.
And yet, Jack still struggled to find a “sexual spark” with Tori, who never had the same reservations about her groom.
“There is definitely a sexual energy there, and sexual chemistry is super important to me,” Tori said on the show.
For Jack, who said he had “quite a sexual appetite”, on the show, it was not as apparent. “I can tell within 10 seconds if I want to be physical with this girl,” he previously said.
“I know if I have that and I’m physically attracted, the sex is going to be there and I can just keep growing on that connection.”
He then admitted that he felt “no sexual sparks” with Tori. “We’re not sexually connected at all.”
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