Married At First Sight star divorced husband after 'red flag' off-camera moment

Married At First Sight UK's Erica Roberts has opened up about her decision to leave husband Jordan Gayle, revealing she overlooked a significant "red flag" that didn't make it to the television screens.

The pair had exchanged vows on the E4 programme after meeting for the first time at the altar, and initially, they were seen as potentially one of the show's rare success stories. But the 26 year old has now confirmed their split just months later, initially framing it as a mutual and amicable parting.

"This hasn't been an easy decision for us both as we really wanted to make our relationship work. I truly wish him all the best and there is no bad blood between us," Erica shared in an Instagram post.

Yet, with the launch of the new series of Married At First Sight, Erica has revealed more about why she and Jordan decided to divorce. In a recent interview, she disclosed that her ex-husband had several "meltdowns" and she often felt more like his "therapist and his mum" rather than his partner.

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Erica confessed that the breakup was "a long time coming", as she lost herself while trying to support her then-husband, who "needed a lot from me". She described their dynamic as "not balanced" and pinpointed a particularly intense argument as the moment she knew she had to end things, reports the Mirror.

Erica organised a surprise getaway to Scotland for Jordan's 27th birthday, which backfired when he became enraged because the trip clashed with plans to play ten-pin bowling with his mum in Sheffield. Left feeling remorseful by his claims of having "the worst birthday of his life", Erica noted Jordan had never taken her out for dinner throughout their relationship.

"So I thought, 'You know what, I'm tapping out. I actually can't do this anymore.' And that was it. I was like, 'I'm done. I cannot continue this. This is insane behaviour,'" Erica revealed.

There had been "warning signs" from day one of their marriage, according to Erica, but it reached a tipping point on the final night of their honeymoon in Antigua. She recounted how Jordan constantly interrupted her and didn't let her speak, an issue she confronted him about.

"I said to him, 'I do feel like you're kind of dismissing the things I say, and not really listening to me, or you just want to talk about yourself.' And that led to him having an absolute meltdown," she stated.

Erica described his communication as "pretty much non-existent at that point", and shared that even some former MAFS stars praised her decision to leave him.

"Everyone was really supportive of me rather than him. They were all like, 'Well done, you got rid of him. It was a long time coming. This had to happen," she expressed. Despite the split, Erica didn't harbour only ill feelings towards Jordan, asserting that she "did genuinely, really like him, and I wanted to make it work", and acknowledged her ex-husband's "so many good qualities".

Married at First Sight UK airs weekdays at 9pm on E4