2024’s season of Married At First Sight Australia introduced fans to its most seasoned duo yet!
Andrea, a 51-year-old photographer from the Sunshine Coast was paired up with Richard, a 62-year-old motivational speaker from Sydney.
Despite their age, these two were all about staying “young at heart” and embracing life to the fullest – quickly becoming one of the audience’s favourite pairings of the season thanks to their instant connection and drama-free relationship.
But whilst the beginning of the season saw the pair cement themselves as one of the strongest marriages, their relationship nosedived in the second half of the season, and the couple’s journey came to a dramatic end.
Richard later went public with his new partner.
Here we look back at Andrea and Richard’s complete relationship timeline.
Andrea and Richard’s Wedding
In a season that saw cheating scandals, trainwreck best man speeches and awkward ‘I Do’s’, Richard and Andrea’s big day was refreshingly drama-free and romantic.
With an instant connection and the tick of approval from their adult children, the couple dived head first into martial bliss, breezing through their honeymoon and moving in together.
Confessions Week Drama for Richard and Andrea
Although the couple initially established themselves as one of the most robust marriages of the season, Confessions Week introduced fresh challenges. They encountered a series of obstacles that tested their bond, with Andrea tasked with looking through Richard’s phone.
“I choose to go into any relationship trusting, even though I’ve been hurt time and time again,” Andrea told the cameras, just moments before her husband opened his last conversation – with his ex-wife.
“She called me yesterday, but I can’t remember, we spoke about something,” he began. “I said, ‘bye sweetie,’ she texted me and said ‘Did you call me sweetie? Don’t do that, don’t disrespect your woman. I’m your ex, man, don’t assume she’s fine, don’t get loose’.”
However, Andrea’s admiration for her new husband and his former partner diminished following the photo challenge, during which Richard ranked her third among the other brides participating in the experiment.
“I didn’t realise that I had upset her,” Richard told the cameras ahead of their first commitment ceremony. “It makes me feel like a right piece of s–t, to be honest with you. I f—-d up. And we’ve got so much going for us, so I need to fix it.”
As the first commitment ceremony rolled around, the couple quickly returned to stable ground – sharing with the group how they were progressing with their intimate relationship.
“Intimacy came naturally and beautifully, and it’s very nice -“ Andrea explained.
“It’s full on. Two to four times a day,” Richard interrupted.
Trouble in Paradise
Although their relationship seemed momentarily on track, Andrea and Richard’s relationship fell apart during feedback week.
Following a week of arguments, the couple sat down before the dinner party to discuss their issues with communication, with Richard wanting to learn why his wife was suddenly no longer into him.
Explaining that it was not just “one thing,” Andrea revealed Richard’s broad statements have continued to upset her, drawing attention to his discussion of their intimate life to others among other examples.
Despite Andrea’s attempts to explain her feelings, Richard was adamant the “specifics” and “details” were not the issue.
“We were into each other and now you aren’t…why not?” he asked. “You ruined what we had Andy…and you can’t even tell me why.”
Their argument got heated as Richard suggested Andrea was blaming him for “stuff” that was from her “past relationships and trauma.”
“I’m not that guy,” he bluntly told her, telling Andrea she was “gaslighting” him.
“You’re worse,” she shot back before they ended their argument.
“Good luck to you Andy,” Richard said as he walked away. “I hope you find the man you are looking for.”
Richard continued to share with the group his belief that Andrea’s past relationships were the issue.
“His utter disregard for clear boundaries is upsetting me,” she explained. “He makes me feel like I’m crazy and I just don’t know how we ended up here.”
Are Andrea and Richard Still Together?
During the following commitment ceremony, the couple both chose to leave.
“We just don’t agree,” Andrea bluntly explained, as the pair continued to clash. “Things ended in a shattering, devastating way,” Richard added.
Although the episode devastated fans, the news didn’t come as a complete surprise since New Idea previously suggested Andrea and Richard were no longer together.
The publication pointed to photos obtained by Daily Mail which showed Richard attending a Belvedere event at the Flamingo Lounge solo in late February and not wearing a ring.
According to the Daily Mail, Richard was spotted with previous MAFS brides Olivia Frazer, Cyrell Paule, Carolina Santo and Mel Sheppard.
Following the photos, insiders have claimed that Andrea is “disappointed” and “humiliated” by Richard’s behaviour which has led fans to speculate that the experiment may not have been a success for the pair.
“You really have to feel for Andrea,” says one source. “It can’t have felt good watching her groom drape himself all over these younger women.”
Richard Debuts New Relationship
In June 2024, Richard took to Instagram to debut his new relationship, sharing a selfie of himself and Margie on a date night. It’s not the first time fans have spotted Margie on Richard’s Instagram account – In May he shared a number of selfies of the couple, telling followers she was a “close friend.”
Margie herself has also shared a number of pictures throughout May and June of the happy couple, confirming to one fan that they were 12 years apart “and perfectly matched!”
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