Farmer Wants A Wife Exclusive: Star's secret girlfriend revealed after shock exit

Following the shock reports that Farmer Bert Harris is set to leave Farmer Wants A Wife, Yahoo Lifestyle can report he has been dating one of the ladies who has already left the show.

Yahoo Lifestyle revealed earlier this week that Bert will be "the next farmer to leave" and "not because he finds a match like Farmer Dean did with Teegan".

Insiders revealed to us that Bert "was done being a puppet for the producers on his farm," who continued to push him and the ladies into creating drama.

"Farmer Bert was really sweet and it was sad to see him being treated like a prop. These two male producers had come from filming FBoy Island and obviously wanted conflict," the insider says, adding this was not what Bert signed up for.

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"He actually felt uncomfortable with his producers and their suggestions on how to handle the remaining women," the source said, claiming this was the reason he left. "He no longer felt like he could go on and pretend just for the show."

It was revealed that what was happening on Bert's farm was worlds away from the other farms, and it was "like they were filming a different show".

Bert's secret girlfriend revealed

While fans might be sad to know that Bert leaves the show, they may be pretty excited to learn that he has been secretly dating Lauren McNeil, who chose to leave the show after finding the competition for Bert's heart to be too difficult.

When Bert leaves Farmer Wants A Wife, our insider reveals that he will say it's because of his "inability to give the show his full attention," but this is not the case.

"Channel Seven viewers are set to riot as they will see through his decision to leave the show," our TV insider says. "It was certainly not the case and he just wanted out."

Bert was reportedly sick of the drama, with our source adding, "It was clear he did not want to stay on a show that was about staging manufactured drama. He was continually put in situations he felt were not authentic and butted heads with producers who were not listening to his real opinions."

"The show was filmed late last year and while viewers will have their own ideas on who he might have genuinely liked they will be surprised to know he has been romancing one girl who had already left."

Lauren left the show two weeks ago, and our insider says the reason he quit might also be that "he was strong-armed into letting her go."

Our sources tell us that the pair will likely go public after the show finishes airing in late May.

"Farmer Bert is a good guy, and he will have no problems finding someone once the show finishes," confirms a close friend, who adds, "But he has gotten closer to Lauren and they have been keeping things quiet. I’d say he was fed up with production, and knew he made a mistake letting her leave and was waiting to reconnect.

"He has been in contact with some of the others but it will be Lauren that he picks moving forward. It’s not Karli Hinkley or Caitlin Crank, who many viewers will know he had been spending more on screen time with."

'Don't be a stranger'

Interestingly, when Lauren told Bert she needed to leave, he was heard whispering in her ear, "Don't be a stranger."

"[I'm] definitely torn, I think the world of Lauren," Bert told the cameras at the time. "I had hoped that she would stick it out and we could explore where things potentially could go, but I'm definitely not going to put any added pressure on her to stay."

Fans were heartbroken, with one user writing, "Nooooooo go find her Farmer Bert!! Lauren is the best!!! She will be the one that got away!"

"I am so sad Lauren left," another said. "I thought she was the perfect match for Bert."

"What a shame. I felt like she was the one for him," yet another fan wrote.

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"I reckon after the show they’ll get together," one user guessed at the time.

"Their body language says these two have a real connection. Look how they interact," someone else said.

Many others wrote that Lauren appeared "kind" and "genuine" and hoped that she found what she was looking for.

Farmer Wants A Wife continues 7pm Sunday, 7.30pm Monday and Tuesday on Channel 7 and 7plus.

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