The backlash Married At First Sight’s Ellie Dix has received since going officially public with her new romance with Jono at the show’s reunion has left her “extraordinarily traumatised” and “so upset” according to one of her best friends.
Tahli Passeri, who has known Ellie for 18 years and attended her MAFS wedding to Ben Walters, spoke out on Tuesday morning to defend her best friend and reveal the truth about the “cheating” scandal that has shocked Australia.
Tahli has revealed that not all is what it seemed when it came to Ellie and Jono’s seemingly smug behaviour at the reunion, calling the editing of the episodes “concerning”.
“It’s extraordinarily concerning, the differences between what actually occurred during filming to what managed to reach screens and what viewers saw,” Tahli told Yahoo Lifestyle.
“This week’s episode portrayed both Ellie and Jono in an extremely poor form, yes certain things were said, and they did look very happy, however producers appear to have used certain scenes and moments to depict them being quite arrogant and inconsiderate. This is a far cry from how they both have been aired to date, which surely would make any viewer with half a brain question why this is the case?”
She also said most of the cast were happy for Ellie and Jono and that scenes like Ben greeting Ellie were cut to lean into a more “dramatic cheating” storyline.
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“The entire cast was, in fact, quite happy seeing Ellie and Jono walk in together, and it was a happy reception, the polar opposite to what was actually aired,” she said.
“Producers were aware that Ellie and Jono had formed a relationship and advised them not to tell other cast members that they were attending the reunion together. Production also didn’t show Ben greeting Ellie, along with a multitude of other events, and the entire episode seems to be glazed over and chopped and changed to suit this ‘dramatic cheating’ narrative that the producers were actually going for.”
And when it came to one of the more shocking parts of the reunion episode where it appeared Ellie’s facade cracked and she called Lauren a f***ing b***h, Tahli said the comment was actually directed towards Sara and edited out of context, something Ellie has also now said in interviews post-reunion.
“Yes, she did say ‘you’re a f**king b***h’ however that was said to Sara who was attacking her claiming that Ellie was ‘there for screen time’. Ellie left in week 5 – if she wanted screen time she would have stayed a lot longer.
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“Ellie was genuine throughout the entirety of the experiment and stayed true to herself and her values the whole time, which is why she left in week 5. I have personally seen the messages [between Jono and Ellie] the conversations were completely platonic.”
Tahli has also called out MAFS fans for the vitriol Ellie and Jono have received since the reunion episodes aired.
“It is disturbing the hate and revolting comments Ellie is receiving. She is extraordinarily traumatised and as someone who has known her for 18 years, I have never seen her so upset,” Tahli said.
“She is one of the kindest, most genuine, loyal, compassionate and loving people I know, and to see her receive so much hate and derogatory comments based on a substantially edited television show, is saddening and troubling for the people in today’s society.”
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