What is wrong with Melissa from MAFS?
Here’s What MAFS’ Melissa And Josh Relationship Looks Like Now»
Melissa and Josh were one of the show’s most controversial couples.
From their initial instant attraction to their disastrous honeymoon and that commitment ceremony, let’s take a look back at their relationship and where they are now.
Who Are Melissa Sheppard and Josh White?
Melissa is a 41-year-old hairdresser from Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Before the wedding, Melissa told the experts that she is extremely comfortable with her sexuality and expects her partner to keep up with her in the bedroom.
Josh is a 40-year-old advertising client director from New South Wales. He loves Disney films and is a devoted dad to his young daughter. Josh told the experts that he’s looking for an emotional connection with someone.
The Wedding
Josh and Melissa’s relationship started off on a high with the couple instantly feeling a connection.
While Melissa excitedly told the cameras, «There’s this handsome, amazing man standing there who is everything that I’ve wanted. That is my Thor and Gladiator in one,» her friends weren’t as convinced, with one worriedly asking «He’s not really the alpha male, is he?» and another responding, «She’ll eat him alive!»
However, Melissa didn’t let her friend’s opinions sway her own and the next morning she opened the doors to the camera crew grinning and confirming that, «Thor does have a big hammer.»
Melissa and Josh tie the knot.
Channel Nine
The Honeymoon
Melissa and Josh’s honeymoon started off a little strangely with Melissa confidently confirming the couple’s consummation and Josh vehemently denying it.
Things didn’t improve as Melissa’s seduction attempts didn’t go as planned and she soon began to worry that the couple’s initial spark had burnt out.
The relationship was challenged again when Melissa learnt that Josh had denied having sex with her, which started the first of their many disagreements about publicly discussing their sex life.
Moving In Together
Intimacy became an even bigger problem in Melissa and Josh’s relationship when the couple were forced to move in together, with it soon becoming apparent that the couple had drastically different views on sex and intimacy.
After hearing the way Mel spoke about Josh and his «big hammer» at the wedding, Josh told the cameras «I can’t quite shake that I’m just seen as a sex object.»
The point seemed proven when Josh asked Melissa what he did for a job and she admitted to not knowing the answer.
Melissa and Josh in Sydney.
Channel Nine.
The Commitment Ceremonies
After a difficult week living together, Josh chose to write leave at the first commitment ceremony. However, Melissa wrote stay and the couple embarked on intimacy week.
When the second commitment ceremony rolled around, the couple’s relationship hadn’t improved and Melissa opened up to the experts.
«I feel like I’m the alpha in the relationship, I just feel in this relationship I’m definitely more dominant and it’s just showing,» she told the experts.
However, Josh disagreed, stating » You’re saying I’m some kind of shrew or 40-year-old virgin which I am not, in any way shape or form,» he said. «There is a significant issue in this relationship about control.»
Josh then went on to describe Melissa attempting to control who he sees and restricting his access to his phone, TV and books.
«She’s used degrading and dehumanising language to me, questioning my manhood, so when we talk about getting at the core of the issue, that is the core of the issue right there,» he continued.
«If I was a woman saying these things, the crowd would feel very differently about them.»
After describing Josh as not a «manly man,» the rest of the couples jumped to Josh’s defence with Duncan stating, «a man is someone who can really talk about their emotions and get deep and be vulnerable, what a man isn’t is someone who just wants to chop it up and not talk about anything, to me that’s not a man.»
When it came to the decision to leave or stay, Josh wrote leave while Melissa wrote stay.
While usually, this would mean that Josh would have to continue the experiment with Melissa for another week, the experts decided to change the rules.
«Josh, we can see clearly that you’re pretty broken right now,» John, one of the experts, stated. «I’ve never seen a relationship like this before in the experiment.
«We’ve also been around long enough to know there is no coming back for you in this experiment Josh, and we’re not going to subject you any longer to this.»
With the option to leave, Josh decided to take it.
Melissa and Josh at the commitment ceremony.
Channel Nine.
Are Melissa and Josh Still Together?
No, Josh and Melissa are not together.
Since leaving the show, Josh has released a statement in response to people berating Melissa for her behaviour on the show.
» Mel and I have had a chance to heal from our experiences,» he said on Instagram.
«Let me very clear about one thing. What happened in the experiment happened between Mel and I — please do not attack Mel. It doesn’t make me happy. It doesn’t give me any satisfaction. It doesn’t raise me up. At all.»
Melissa has also since taken to Instagram with an apology for Josh, writing: » Josh, I am sorry that my words were hurtful or damaging to you and that was never my intention to hurt you in any way, shape or form.»
«I went in this #MAFS experiment hoping to find our perfect matches and as we didn’t find our forever after, wanted to let you know I hope when you’re ready you will find love and find what it is that you need out of a future relationship.
«And I wish you nothing but the BEST for your future Xx
«As we both need this and now we can put this chapter behind us and as we leave the experiment we remember the good times and laughs we had together.
«Take care and hope to smile with you one day when we both have healed.»
Teneal Zuvela Teneal Zuvela is a digital writer at marie claire Australia. When she’s not writing about the latest lifestyle, fashion and beauty trends, she can be found lounging on the beach with a good book.
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Melissa Has Slammed Her ‘MAFS’ Edit And Claims She’s Been “Misrepresented”
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Last night’s Married at First Sight commitment ceremony saw Josh White leave bride Melissa Sheppard, after breaking down on the couch, labelling her behaviour as degrading.
Melissa and Josh had a rollercoaster relationship, with Melissa’s constant talk about sex and intimacy rubbing Josh the wrong way (no pun intended) before things finally came to a head (no pun intended) during Intimacy Week with Melissa’s constant insinuations of Josh not being man enough for her finally wearing thin.
At last night’s commitment ceremony, Josh ended up in tears after calling out Melissa for limiting his phone, TV, and reading time, as well as limiting intimacy and questioning his “manhood”. Melissa either didn’t have much to say in response or had her responses edited out, and even though she opted to stay, John Aiken told Josh he could still leave the experiment and he did.
Melissa has now given an interview to Kyle and Jackie O this morning to clear up some of the “rumours” surrounding her time on MAFS. We decided to summarise it for you below so you don’t have to listen.
You’re welcome, btw.
Melissa on her dating history and whether or not she’s a sex pest:
“Sex pest 2023!” Melissa said. “I went on this experiment wanting to meet someone, my equal or a match. My first marriage ended 10 years ago, and we had an amazing relationship, it was great while it was working. The last 10 years I’ve had two serious relationships [with younger men] and I decided to go on the experiment because I wanted to meet my equal. I knew I had a high sex drive, I like to have sex, but to have sex with my husband 2-3 times a week, I didn’t think I was asking for too much.”
On her “transactional” comment in regards to sex with Josh:
“Those two times, the last times we were intimate, I wouldn’t say it was hot and heavy intimacy. It was just sloppy and messy. I took sex off the table, I wanted to get to know this guy, he’s only seeing me as this sex siren, I could see they were pushing the sex on him a lot. And I was trying to come back from that,” she said, before saying she and Josh had never gone down on each other (after prompting questions from Kyle).
“What happened was the last time we were intimate, there was no kissing, it was very transactional. And I knew Josh had stepped out of the relationship before then,” she said.
On Melissa telling John to let Josh leave:
“I said to John, please let him leave. We ended up having an argument before that and I was writing leave, but after speaking to production I thought maybe I need to keep continuing with this. I really feel like we couldn’t have been more opposite. Unfortunately, I’m being misrepresented.
“Josh and I haven’t spoken since. I reached out to him after watching him break down on the couch. I was shocked, I couldn’t say anything, he was happier three hours earlier. I don’t feel like it’s 100% honest.”
Melissa on the limiting of Josh’s TV, phone, and reading time:
“That’s absolutely not true,” she said of Josh’s accusations. “I didn’t want to add anymore fuel to the fire. Josh was a very different person in front of me, then he’d go to these voxxies and break down. So all the times you’d see him say these things, I felt like I was sleeping with a secret assassin. He would be so kind to my face, but behind closed doors he’d break down and cry and I had no idea.”
On the Josh and Lyndall rumours:
Melissa then alluded to the Josh and Lyndall dating rumours, with Kyle asking if Josh has had sex after the experiment. “Oh yeah, haven’t you read it?” Melissa said. “Well, the truth will come out. I know there’ll be some evidence that comes forward.”
You can listen to the full interview with Melissa from MAFS here.
Married at First Sight returns tonight at 7:30pm on Channel Nine.
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Married at First Sight Australia’s Melissa Sheppard defended by ex-husband Josh White after backlash
Melissa Sheppard has been forced to apologise to her MAFS Australia husband Josh White after backlash.
The couple didn’t have an easy time on the show, and Melissa shocked viewers when she made comments about the couple’s sex life during a recent commitment ceremony.
After the episode recently aired Down Under — as the show is a few weeks ahead of the UK — Josh pleaded with people to be ‘kind’ to Melissa.
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Taking to Instagram, he said to his followers: “Hi, everyone. The events of Married at First Sight happened a few months ago and Mel and I have had a chance to heal from our experiences.
“What you saw in the experiment is no different to real life where two strangers come together from different backgrounds to try to learn more about each other, and themselves in the process.
«I think that we had some really beautiful moments, but we also had some moments of reflection, and I think that both of those will be pretty long-lasting.
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“I’ve always maintained the pressure of the experiment affects people in different ways. But let me be very clear about one thing: what happened in the experiment happened between Mel and I.”
He continued: “Please do not attack Mel. It doesn’t make me happy. It doesn’t give me any satisfaction. It doesn’t raise me up at all.
“We are real people. We have real feelings. And we all came into the experiment looking for something.”
Adding a caption to the video, Josh said: “I ask you as an audience to please be respectful and kind to Melissa.
“There isn’t a need to attack her at all. I understand people will want to but that doesn’t make me feel any better and it just perpetuates a cycle that we should all reflect on.”
This comes after Melissa criticised Josh during a radio interview following filming, claiming he is a ‘different person’ while the cameras aren’t rolling.
But she has since apologised to Josh, saying she’s sorry for her ‘hurtful’ words.
“Josh, I am sorry that my words were hurtful or damaging to you and that was never my intention to hurt you in any way, shape or form,” she wrote on Instagram alongside photos of the couple on their wedding day.
“I went in this MAFS experiment hoping to find our perfect matches and as we didn’t find our forever after, wanted to let you know I hope when you’re ready you will find love and find what it is that you need out of a future relationship.”
She added: “Take care and hope to smile with you one day when we both have healed,’ she finished the message.”
