Insiders have revealed the real reason why Married at First Sight Australia 2024‘s Andrea Thompson and Richard Sauerman‘s marriage came crumbling down.
The show’s “oldest ever” couple started the experiment as strong as ever and quickly cemented themselves as fan favourites.
However, recent weeks have shown them growing apart, particularly after Richard detailed their sex life during a recent Commitment Ceremony, which ultimately saw Andrea pull away from the relationship.
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As the 51-year-old revealed on the show, her past relationship was toxic and emotionally abusive, and she felt that she was gaslit by her former partner.
Viewers have seen Richard attribute his TV wife withdrawing from their relationship because of her “past baggage”. According to insiders, this was a much bigger storyline in real life than what was shown on TV.
As reported in episode 362 of the So Dramatic! podcast, “Andrea basically took her baggage from her previous relationship out on Richard”.
“Richard raised the issue of her ex a few times in a kind and constructive way, questioning if her past trauma was why she had suddenly pulled back on being intimate with him and if it was impacting their relationship and how they could try to work on that,” one source revealed.
“Andrea took it as a negative and felt attacked any time he brought it up. It was a very touchy subject for her, so she just completely shut off after that.
The identity of Andrea Thompson’s ex contributed to her shutting down
A production insider also revealed to So Dramatic! that Andrea pulling back from her relationship with Richard wasn’t entirely because of him.
Andrea’s ex is “quite a high-profile guy” who actually “posted on Facebook about her being on MAFS.
“After he did this, she freaked out massively and became extremely concerned about how he was going to react about what she had been saying on the show about him, because he wasn’t going to look good,” they said.
“She started to worry that she’d said too much, so she stopped speaking about him, but it was too late. Their whole journey on the show was about that.”
While Andrea didn’t name him on the show, the source said, “It was no secret they were together,” having dated for 16 years.
Participants weigh in on why Andrea Thompson and Richard Sauerman’s relationship failed
Several of Andrea and Richard’s co-stars weighed in on their relationship, with one telling So Dramatic! that Richard was “really disappointed” that he was rejected.
“He really wanted things to work out with them. The whole situation was really hard on him. You could see how heartbroken he was,” they confessed. “Richard does sometimes act like a child.
“He just doesn’t listen or think sometimes, but his intentions are good, and he comes from a good place. He’s not a bad person and was really into Andrea; there’s no denying that.”
Meanwhile, another participant said Andrea’s past relationship definitely contributed to their downfall.
“Andrea’s ex seems to have done a lot of damage,” they said. “Perhaps she just wasn’t ready yet.”
However, sources close to Andrea have denied this is the case.
A ‘multitude of reasons’ contributed to Andrea ‘pulling back’ from Richard
According to one source, there was a “multitude of reasons” Andrea withdrew from her Married at First Sight romance.
“There were various little things that he did that gradually turned her off,” they said.
“The biggest ones were him exaggerating about things, making issues bigger, not letting her speak, cutting her off and talking over her when she did speak, not listening to her, not acknowledging how she was feeling, and not respecting her boundaries — one of them being mentioning her past relationship.
“All of that crushed her the most, more than anything else.”
The mother-of-two found Richard’s “broad statements hurtful”, namely saying she wasn’t “trying when she was”.
“[As well as] saying that they hadn’t been intimate for six weeks when it had only been two,” the insider added.
“They were still being affectionate during that time, holding hands, cuddling, kissing, caring for each other and all of that stuff.”
The insider also claimed that Andrea pulling back from Richard wasn’t a “complete 180” either.
“Her affection didn’t stop suddenly. It was gradual. She was there trying with him week after week,” they claimed.
Married at First Sight‘s Andrea Thompson thought it was ‘impossible to communicate’ with Richard Sauerman
While Andrea and Richard “had great moments together”, she found it “impossible to communicate” with him when they faced issues.
“Richard wouldn’t take anything she was saying on board and would get defensive,” an insider explained. “Andrea doesn’t do conflict well and is a quiet person, so she needed a more gentler approach.
“How he spoke to her rubbed her up the wrong way, so she just shut down.”
The source noted that Richard “has an aggressive communication style” and that he “found it hard to take any accountability for his mistakes.”
“He just became convinced that it was all because of her past trauma.”
Another source said the cast and experts also pulled the 62-year-old up on his behaviour.
“A lot of the cast called him out at Commitment Ceremonies and dinner parties, trying to explain that how he speaks comes across as aggressive and he needs to listen to Andrea,” they said.
“None of it has been shown… The experts called him out a lot, too.”
Married at First Sight‘s Richard Sauerman told Andrea Thomspon to ‘look into therapy’ when she apologised to him
In a letter obtained by So Dramatic! from Andrea to Richard, the TV bride apologised for saying he was “worse” than her ex-partner.
“Dear Richie, I am so f*cking sorry for my comment,” she wrote. I was so frustrated that you weren’t listening to me that I lashed out.
“It is never okay to compare you, and even though you may not accept my apology, I just want you to know that I instantly regretted saying it.
“I know you are a good human deep in your heart, and I have and will hold happy memories of you.”
While Richard accepted Andrea’s apology via text, he also suggested she “look into therapy for trauma”.
“Don’t beat yourself up over it. I don’t judge you or hold it against you,” he said. “I, too, have lived with trauma and its impact on my life.
“The traumatic legacy of your past relationship has always stood in the way between us. I feel so sad we couldn’t get past that.”
Richard concluded: “Please look into therapy for trauma. I did EMDR therapy earlier this year for my childhood and military trauma, and it’s amazing.”
He also requested that they “both write leave and exit with no hostility” at the upcoming Commitment Ceremony.
Where do Married at First Sight‘s Andrea Thompson and Richard Sauerman stand now?
Following filming, Richard and Andrea were spotted looking quite cosy on a number of occasions, prompting fans to suspect that they were still an item.
However, So Dramatic! can reveal that after they exited the experiment ahead of Married at First Sight‘s Homestays Week, they were “not on good terms”.
“They have since become friends again,” a source close to the couple explained. “Richard really wanted to be friends with her afterwards. He really cares about her.
“They have been in contact a bit, but not much. They text here and there and are civil but nothing romantic at all.”
While they recently caught up in Sydney, the source confirmed “they are just friends”.
However, Richard reportedly asked whether “there was any chance of them getting back together”.
“But she said no,” they revealed.
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