reality tv

"He's scared I'll tell the truth." MAFS' Poppy shares her side of what happened with Luke.

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On Monday night Australia watched Poppy Jennings, 38, leave Married At First Sight because she “missed her kids too much”.

The photographer and mum of two-year-old twin boys was matched with FIFO worker and dad of two teenage girls Luke Eglin, 39, for the reality TV experiment.

From the start, the Wollongong local wrestled with leaving her boys to take part in the experiment. In fact, the storyline dominated most of what we’ve seen of Luke and Poppy’s ‘marriage’.

WATCH: This is how Australia was introduced to Poppy.

Coming into the experiment, Poppy was looking for a “good and dependable man to be a role model to her boys.”

Her ex-husband left her for another woman when the twins were just six weeks old. To add insult to injury, they now live in the area and Poppy regularly runs into them while doing her groceries.

During Sunday’s commitment ceremony, Poppy told the experts the wedding was a “blur” because she was “so stressed out” about leaving her boys behind, but ultimately decided to stay and give her marriage another go.

But as ‘intimacy week’ kicked off, Poppy decided she couldn’t do it after all, telling the camera: “I didn’t want to leave on bad terms. I didn’t want to just give up easily. But at the same time, being away from my kids has been the hardest thing for me and I didn’t realise that it was going to affect me so much.

“All I have done is cry the whole time. ”

Tearing up as the producer told him that Poppy had left the experiment, Luke described the news as “devastating”.

Fans quickly took to social media to show their sympathies for the Melbourne FIFO worker.

But in a now-deleted Facebook post obtained by Mamamia, Poppy wrote on Tuesday that she’s been getting “hammered by media and trolls” since leaving the show, adding that it failed to show her side of the story and the Luke she knew behind the scenes.

“He was fake on camera and a complete dickhead behind the scenes it was infuriating,” her post said.

“I was matched with someone that cheated on his wife. Didn’t live in the same state and wasn’t dad of the year by any means.

“The experts never even met him!!!”

Poppy explained that viewers only saw one per cent of what actually happened and reminded people that a commitment ceremony goes for 15 hours, and their honeymoon was four whole days, not six minutes, as was shown on screen.

"I was uncomfortable with all the things about this person I was matched with that didn't add up. But I was told 'Poppy on camera and off camera don't exist to the public.' I was so scared I was saying s*** like 'this could work' because they told me Australia was going to f***ing hate me," she wrote.

"You have seen minutes of footage here and there of a guy on his best behaviour because of his job!!!! He was drilled by his bosses beforehand about how he had to behave!!!!

"I couldn't say what was happening behind the scenes as it was too controversial so let's just play her ugly crying and whinging about her kids. F*** I'd probably hate me too! From what I heard that's all they play of me," Poppy ended her post.

The Daily Mail also reports Poppy wrote: "He's scared s**tless I will tell the truth. I was afraid to speak up! But f**k this s**t, I'm going to tell everything!!!!

"It's not what you see, it's what you don't see! Go and ask Luke why I was so uncomfortable?????????? Why the f*** did I really leave??

"He's petrified I'm going to talk. He knows he's f***ed up. Those tears from him are for his reputation and job!!!!"

Before the post was deleted, it had attracted 10,000 comments.

Luke has since responded to the lengthy criticism, telling The Daily Telegraph, "I am not going to make any comments because, honestly, the best way to react is not to react."

"To be honest, Poppy is a good person and the best of luck to her. I am not going to comment on anything because it is not worth it, it really isn't. Honestly, she just needs to move on like I have and that is it. We are finished on the show and that is as far as it goes," he added.

When asked about the post on the Kyle and Jackie O Show, fellow MAFS contestant Connie said "it's a touchy one this one."

"I just don't feel comfortable really giving too much of my opinion on this matter because I guess it is big and it's something Poppy and Luke need to deal with themselves," she told Kyle and Jackie O.

When asked by Jackie if it was an 'inappropriate incident', she replied: "Yeah, inappropriate is one word to use definitely. It's just, yeah, it's heavy."

Poppy's friend Susie also spoke to Kyle and Jackie O telling them Poppy is currently talking to lawyers about what she can publicly say about what made her abruptly leave the experiment.

"She has been told by producers that she can't come forward because of what has gone on, and how controversial it is to the show," she explained.

"She tells me she can't sleep and is having night tremors. I tell her not to stress about it and that everything will be okay. She's so upset about how everything went down and that she can't be herself. It has affected her.

"If anybody actually knew her, she's the most realest person you'll ever meet," Susie told the radio show.

A spokesperson for Nine and Endemol Shine Australia told Daily Mail: "We have seen Poppy's post and note her distress - we have reached out to her to offer support and won't be making any further public comment, and will focus on doing our best to support both Poppy and Luke."

Feature image: Nine.

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Top Comments

LA 5 years ago

Aren't NDA's null and void if they're attempting to cover something illegal? I hope we get the goss.


Janelle Claire Berner 5 years ago

Bottom line is that she knew what she was signing up for- we have heard endless tales of other contestants saying similar things. I also don’t feel like she was really ready for this and she wasn’t attracted to him from the second she saw him. Of course it’s edited to the hilt. And complaining that he wasn’t in the same state? Most aren’t! This was a well known risk. We all remember WA Susan and the qld farmer. Destined to fail before it began. I’d say the contracts she signed are probably watertight though.