[ad_1]

Married At First Sight’s Josh White has broken his silence after his ex-‘wife’ Melissa Sheppard was slammed for her appalling behaviour towards him.

Taking to Instagram on Monday, the advertising client director, 40, pleaded with viewers to be ‘kind’ to Melissa – even after she made shocking and insensitive remarks about the couple’s sex life at Sunday’s commitment ceremony.

‘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,’ he said in a video.

‘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.

Married At First Sight's Josh White has broken his silence after his ex-'wife' Melissa Sheppard was slammed for her appalling behaviour towards him

Married At First Sight’s Josh White has broken his silence after his ex-‘wife’ Melissa Sheppard was slammed for her appalling behaviour towards him

‘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.’

Josh explained that targeting Melissa doesn’t make him feel any better about what happened on the show.

‘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,’ he said.

‘We are real people. We have real feelings. And we all came into the experiment looking for something.’

Josh added in the video’s caption: ‘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.’

He also told fans he’d been ‘doing well’ since leaving the experiment.

Earlier on Monday, Melissa doubled down on her criticism of Josh during an interview on The Kyle and Jackie O Show, accusing him of being a ‘different person’ in one-on-one interviews with producers and revealing unflattering details about their sex life.

Listeners were left stunned as Melissa – who is in damage control after being portrayed on the show as callous and sex-obsessed – alleged Josh was ‘not the same person in front of the cameras’ as he was behind closed doors.

She also told radio hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson the pair never actually kissed – despite having ‘sloppy’ sex several times in the experiment – and also claimed they didn’t engage in oral sex.

‘It was really sloppy and messy… I wouldn’t say that was hot and heavy and intimate. It wasn’t how I imagined to have an amazing sex life with someone,’ she said.

Listeners were left stunned as Melissa - who is in damage control after being portrayed on the show as callous and sex-obsessed - alleged Josh was 'not the same person in front of the cameras' as he was behind closed doors

Listeners were left stunned as Melissa – who is in damage control after being portrayed on the show as callous and sex-obsessed – alleged Josh was ‘not the same person in front of the cameras’ as he was behind closed doors

‘There was no kissing. It was very transactional. It was just physical – that was quite awful.’ 

The single mum also said her portrayal as an overly demanding lover was unfair and all she wanted was sex ‘two to three times’ per week.

Melissa explained that while things started off great with Josh on their honeymoon, their relationship went downhill once they moved in together.

‘Josh is a very different person in front of me and he would go to [film] these vox-pops. I felt like I was sleeping with a secret assassin,’ added the hairdresser.

Melissa told radio hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson the pair never actually kissed - despite having 'sloppy' sex several times in the experiment - and also claimed they didn't engage in oral sex

Pictured: radio host Jackie 'O' Henderson

Melissa told radio hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson the pair never actually kissed – despite having ‘sloppy’ sex several times in the experiment – and also claimed they didn’t engage in oral sex. (Left: Melissa in the studio; right: radio host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson)

‘He was just running off. He would be so kind to my face and then behind closed doors [would] break down, and I had no idea.

‘I don’t feel like he is one hundred per cent honest.’

Melissa’s radio interview comes after she declared on Instagram ‘it’s impossible to save a relationship unless both people are equally invested’ and that her cold-hearted behaviour on MAFS was a response to Josh’s lack of effort.

Melissa's radio interview comes after she declared on Instagram 'it's impossible to save a relationship unless both people are equally invested' and that her cold-hearted behaviour on MAFS was a response to Josh's lack of effort

Melissa’s radio interview comes after she declared on Instagram ‘it’s impossible to save a relationship unless both people are equally invested’ and that her cold-hearted behaviour on MAFS was a response to Josh’s lack of effort

‘It takes a joint effort to make it work. One person trying will never be enough.. Remember the sun always shines after it rains,’ she said.

Despite being called out by viewers for her ‘disgraceful’ treatment of her TV husband, Melissa refused to back down and shared another cryptic quote that read: ‘You don’t always have to tell your side of the story. Time will.’

Many fans were left baffled by Melissa’s statement, with some accusing her of shifting the blame onto Josh when she was clearly in the wrong.

MAFS viewers were appalled during Sunday’s commitment ceremony after Melissa belittled Josh in front of the experts and other couples. 

When one of the experts asked why things were going downhill in their romance, Melissa said: ‘Josh is really conservative and I respect that. But then it’s just like it suppresses me and then I feel like I’m the alpha in the relationship.’

The experts were visibly shocked by Melissa’s emasculating remark, and wanted to know why physical intimacy was so important to her. 

‘I just feel like he’s not a big man,’ she told them.

‘I don’t feel protected by Josh, and I feel like I’m protecting him and I feel no protection or love or support or anything from him.’

‘It’s not something I’m used to. I’m used to a man just, you know, I want a manly man…’ she continued. 

The experts were visibly shocked by Melissa's emasculating remark, and wanted to know why physical intimacy was so important to her

The experts were visibly shocked by Melissa’s emasculating remark, and wanted to know why physical intimacy was so important to her 

Melissa went on to reveal having sex with Josh ‘felt like a transaction’ – a bombshell that sent shockwaves through the cast.

‘I’ve got to say that intimacy now, during the intimacy week, it was just sex,’ began Melissa. ‘It was just a transaction. Like, I didn’t feel like it was a genuine thing.’ 

‘It wasn’t kissing, loving how I imagined to have an amazing sex life with someone. It was just physical. We were really drunk and it was just really awkward.’

Melissa’s behaviour was also called into question, with accusations of ‘controlling’ actions towards Josh.

‘I want to now speak my truth and talk about some of it,’ Josh explained.

‘I think there is a significant issue in this relationship about control.

Melissa's behaviour was also called into question, with accusations of 'controlling' actions towards Josh. A heartbroken Josh was then seen wiping tears off his face throughout the chat

Melissa’s behaviour was also called into question, with accusations of ‘controlling’ actions towards Josh. A heartbroken Josh was then seen wiping tears off his face throughout the chat

‘In this relationship, Melissa has attempted to restrict my access to the TV.

‘She’s attempted to restrict my access to my mobile phone. She’s trying to place limitations on the times that I can read my books.

‘She’s trying to tell me when I can go out, where I can go out, who I talk to, when I talk to them.

‘And last week you heard her talk about the fact that she’s going to limit intimacy.’

In a dramatic turn of events, John Aiken allowed Josh to leave the show, citing his mental and emotional wellbeing as the reason for his departure.

Melissa was left to fend for herself, and the fallout from her actions has left the other contestants questioning her motives. 

Josh chose to write 'leave' after returning to the couch. In a bizarre turn of events, Melissa wrote 'stay' having crossed off 'leave'

Josh chose to write ‘leave’ after returning to the couch. In a bizarre turn of events, Melissa wrote ‘stay’ having crossed off ‘leave’

[ad_2]

Source link