Married At First Sight’s Joe apologised to Maeve for the way he treated her but confessed he was ‘struggling’ during the process.
21 October 2025, 13:34
Joe apologised for the way he treated Maeve during filming.
Picture:
Channel 4
Married At First Sight UK’s Joe shared an emotional update with fans after taking a shock break from the ‘intense’ E4 experiment.
Married At First Sight UK’s Joe has broken his silence on his unexpected exit from this year’s explosive series with an emotional post on social media.
The 31-year-old groom took to Instagram to apologise to his fans for his actions but admitted he ‘really lost himself and his thoughts’ during that difficult period in time.
Last week, the northerner disappeared from the apartment he shared with bride Maeve, 29, to take an unscheduled break from filming, leaving his wife spiralling over why he had gone without saying goodbye.
He left with little explanation and failed to return that night but has now publicly explained his side of the story.
The MAFS UK groom spoke out on social media.
Picture:
Instagram/@joe_wood93
The personal trainer confessed he was suffering with the pressures of the show and was also grieving the loss of his grandfather, who died midway through the experiment.
Speaking of his mental health struggles and his strong pull to put his family first, Joe opened up online in a heartfelt statement.
He wrote: “Death is hard enough to process at the best of times, but when you’ve had no communication with family and your under intense scrutiny in the experiment, it threw me off completely and I really lost myself and my thoughts.”
Joe shared his feelings on social media.
Picture:
Instagram/@joe_wood93
Not long ago, Joe and Maeve were favourites to make it all the way to Final Vows with their affectionate relationship and playful banter.
Despite a rocky wedding day, the pair grew close on honeymoon and appeared to build a really solid and loving bond.
In fact, the married couple had not long confessed their love for each other during a touching Commitment Ceremony, but just a few weeks later Joe’s feelings seemed to change overnight.
Joe and Maeve hit rock bottom last week.
Picture:
Channel 4
In a candid conversation with fellow groom Ashley, the personal trainer admitted he loved the aesthetics practitioner “in a way” but wasn’t madly “head over heels” for her.
Addressing the mixed messages he gave mum-of-one Maeve, he added: “I am truly sorry for being confused in my feelings at this point and for upsetting people, I take full accountability.
“But family was and always will be my number one priority and I have no shame in that.”
Maeve was left devastated by Joe’s absence.
Picture:
Channel 4
Just days ago, Joe opened up about the hard times he experienced during the experiment and the “reality check” that followed, which sparked his second thoughts about Maeve.
He said during one episode on 15th October: “Me and Maeve have been in this bubble and I’ve been blind about the differences we have and maybe we are not compatible but because we have been in this bubble I ignored it all and bottled it all up.
“It’s affected me because I haven’t been able to be my full self.”
The PT admitted his feelings for his wife had changed.
Picture:
Channel 4
After the scenes aired on TV, he took to social media to explain his bombshell U-turn to fans.
“Reality check,” Joe began. “The MAFS bubble is a real thing, and it’s easy to forget about the real world.
“Receiving the news of a family member passing was certainly a wake up call and put things into perspective.
“Balancing this with the MAFS life was something I found very difficult, and I appreciate the love and support.”
