With all the potential to be Married at First Sight Australia 2023‘s golden couple, are Duncan James and Alyssa Barmonde actually still together?
The single mum and her hunky hubby quickly became MAFS fans’ favourite duo this season, only going from strength to strength as the other relationships crumbled around them.
However, as their feelings deepened, we soon learned that Duncan and Alyssa weren’t immune to the toll the experiment took on the couples.
So, have they managed to turn things around, or are they dunzo, for good?
A contestant reveals that Alyssa Barmonde and Duncan James are no longer on speaking terms
In episode 272 of the So Dramatic! podcast, it was revealed that Alyssa and Duncan are no longer on speaking terms, as one contestant dished that the pair have only “exchanged a few texts.”
“Duncan has reached out to Alyssa a few times since filming wrapped to check on her but he hasn’t gotten much back from her,” they explained.
“They were going to meet up for coffee but then Alyssa pulled out and didn’t end up going.
“That’s why they haven’t done any joint interviews because they aren’t even talking. It’s very hostile between them at the reunion.” Ooft. We can’t wait to watch this unfold!
The source also spilled that Alyssa’s been telling people she “can’t stand” Duncan and she’s annoyed he’s been given “this amazing edit” whilst she’s been “thrown to the wolves.”
A second contestant backed up these claims, stating that Duncan’s a “big player”.
“The boys always said he was a whole different person on camera and off. They said proper split personality and said it was trippy,” the source continued.
They confessed that Alyssa “always said this too” but nobody listened to her at first.
“I only saw the media-trained camera Duncan, so I can’t talk, but that’s what the guys have been saying.” Very interesting!
It sounds like the MAFS sweetheart may have just cemented his position in the gaslighting club…
Duncan confirms he’s split from Alyssa and claims she GHOSTED him after filming
At the unofficial MAFS reunion hosted by Nova FM’s Fitzy & Wippa on March 23, Duncan confirmed he and Alyssa have split.
“During the week I reached out to Alyssa to check in on how she was,” he said during a Q&A.
“I said that I would be there for her and have a phone call, or if there was something I could do to help I would, but I didn’t get a reply.” Yikes!
Resurfaced pics show Duncan James getting cosy with a former Married at First Sight villain
Keeping it well within the Married at First Sight crowd, resurfaced images indicate Duncan and Alyssa have called it quits as they reveal he was getting cosy with 2022 intruder Carolina Santos.
In pics obtained by Yahoo! Lifestyle, the duo appeared to be on a date in January 2023, just two months after filming of the 2023 season wrapped.
An onlooker told the publication that they had “no idea who Duncan was then” as the series hadn’t premiered at the time.
“It looked like they were on a date but they had other friends with them.”
In one flick, Carolina hugged the TV groom, while another showed them deep in conversation with their hands on each other’s knees.
Umm, busted!
Inside Duncan James and Alyssa Barmonde’s spicy Married at First Sight Final Vows
In the latest string of tips about the couple, one source revealed in episode 267 of the So Dramatic! podcast that things go awry for Duncan and Alyssa at their Final Vows.
“She thought it was going to be a yes and that she held all the power,” one source said. “But he said, ‘Nup, you’re not for me’.
“He had been put through the wringer with her and had had enough.”
Apparently, Duncan felt he was “never going to be good enough” for Alyssa, “no matter what he did”.
The 36-year-old originally said he “need another week to decide” whether he wanted to be with Alyssa. However, he “had to give an answer at that point in time so he said ‘no'”.
“Alyssa wanted to recommit but he didn’t after the way she’d been treating him,” insiders explained.
Even producers were sympathising with the groom, asking him “how he was putting up with Alyssa”.
Alyssa Barmonde’s cryptic AF Instagram posts hint at Duncan James have split
Further adding fuel to the breakup fire, Alyssa posted a number of cryptic posts on Instagram in late 2022.
Shared to her baking business account’s Story, the mum-of-one shared a passage sent to her by a friend.
“You’re strong enough for anything,” the post started. “Please remember this fact.”
“Thanks to my bestie for this reminder,” Alyssa penned alongside the Story.
In a subsequent post, the TV bride shared a quote about choosing the “right path”.
“There will come a time when you’re going to have to choose between continuing to live life as you know it or breaking from your current course to start a new path,” it read.
“Know that no matter what happens — you’re going to be okay.”
Hmm, things aren’t looking good for MAFS 2023‘s Barbie and Ken!
Married at First Sight‘s Duncan James let slip he and Alyssa Barmonde’s fate on breakfast TV
During an appearance on the Today Show on March 5, Duncan fumbled when asked about the whereabouts of his on-screen wife.
When asked where Alyssa was, Duncan replied: “Where’s Alyssa? Uh, probably down the road having a coffee.
“I’m not sure.” Suss AF if you ask us.
When hosts Jayne Azzopardi and Clint Stanaway prodded the TV groom for more information, he joked, “I’ll give her a call when I get out of the studio.” And sure, Jan, sure.
Although Duncan and the 35-year-old executive assistant only live a few minutes away from each other, the pair haven’t been snapped together since filming wrapped in December 2022.
Fans speculate that Duncan James and co-star Evelyn Ellis are an item
Speculation that Duncan and Alyssa had split first gained wheels when the cyber security salesman was spied getting cosy with intruder Evelyn Ellis at her viewing party on February 24.
ICYMI: The pair also shacked up together during MAFS‘ newly introduced Couple Swap exercise, so TBH, it’s kinda viable…
However, Evelyn has since denied anything is going on between the pair.
“Everyone from [the cast] in Sydney was invited,” she told Yahoo! Lifestyle.
“Melinda [Willis] and Layton [Mills] were supposed to come but she had to fly back to Brissy, and Ollie [Skelton] was sick that day.
“I was stuck with the boys which was fine, we just had a few drinks and watched the episode. There’s definitely nothing there.”
Stay tuned, we guess!
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