A groom has shocked Married At First Sight Australia viewers by leaving the show before even attending his own wedding.
In the latest episode, which can be streamed on ThreeNow, relationship expert John Aiken delivers the news to participant Michael Felix.
"After the bucks' and the hens' night, your match decided to send us an email saying he no longer wanted to be a part of the experiment," Aiken tells Felix.
However, Aiken promised the experts would find him a new match so he could continue in the show.
Felix, who had been matched with a marketing manager from South Australia named Simon, told Aiken the news "just ripped my heart out of my chest".
Simon and Michael's marriage would have been the first time Married at First Sight Australia featured a same-sex male wedding since the marriage equality laws were passed in Australia in 2017.
Speaking to Newshub, Aiken said delivering the news was "bittersweet", as he appreciated doing something other than being an observer of the couples.
"I did enjoy the fact that I'm doing something I've never done in 11 seasons, which is I'm jumping on a plane, I'm going down, and I'm going to tell this groom that the person we've matched you with has done a runner before the wedding," Aiken said.
"That part of me was excited by just the sheer novelty of it all. But then there was another side of me, which is I'm really disappointed about what has happened. I really feel for the groom who's left kind of standing, saying, 'well, you know, I didn't even get a chance at this experiment', and that was hard for me.
"I felt for him, because we do get disappointed. We are saddened when couples break up that we have high hopes for."
Talking to nine.com.au, Felix said he had been left "devastated" by the fact his would-be spouse had left before they had even met.
"It took me by surprise. I was devastated. I sacrificed everything to be here. I've never seen an expert show up before to somebody's house. I felt like saying, 'Why me'?"
Full episodes of the current season of MAFS AU are streaming on ThreeNow and airing on Three at 7pm Sunday-Wednesday.
