It is alleged that Cameron, 34, was approached by a MAFS producer to take part in the 'social experiment' back in August 2018, which then prompted Merchant to split with Tina, the Daily Mail reports.
The publication says that Tina, 30, was overseas when Cameron was noticed by MAFS producers, and only found out about his participation in the show when she saw the adverts on television.
One of Tina's friends wrote on Facebook: "[Cameron] never told her why they broke up, she only found out when they started putting his ugly mug all through the magazines in prep for the show."
Another friend added: "It was heartbreaking for a friend of mine who found out [he dumped her for MAFS] a fortnight before the show went to air."