MAFS' Ash and Natalie break silence about post-show romance rumours

From Carly Bowyer and Troy Delmege to Evelyn Ellis and Duncan James, it’s not unusual for Married At First Sight participants to recouple after failing to make things work with the partner they were matched with in the experiment.

While it was recently confirmed that 2024 stars Ellie Dix and Jono McCullough are now in a relationship, plenty of romance rumours surround two more season 11 cast members.

It’s been speculated over the past month that Natalie Parham, who was paired with Collins Christian, and Ash Galati, who entered the show as an intruder alongside Madeleine Maxwell, are now dating.

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The unlikely duo were spotted attending a Melbourne Fashion Festival show together last month and looked very cosy in a series of photos shared by Daily Mail.

A video from the event posted by @mafs.bachie.reality on TikTok also shows the pair giggling together while pretending to have ‘psychic downloads’.

Ash and Natalie address the romance rumours

Ash has now responded to the romance rumours during an appearance on Yahoo Lifestyle’s Behind the Edit podcast and confirmed that his relationship with Natalie is purely platonic.

“Nat is a very, very beautiful person. I wish her all the best in life, but we're just friends,” he shared. “But yeah, I hope she finds love and she absolutely deserves it.”

Natalie also told Yahoo Lifestyle that while she and Ash laugh at the speculation over their relationship, “there’s nothing behind the scenes”.

“We are friends. He’s an interesting guy and seems very down to earth,” she said.

“I met him the first time at the reunion and enjoyed getting to chat to him about his turbulent MAFS experience. Then I hadn’t seen him until the show started airing and [there was] certainly a friendly vibe. Hopefully, I will catch him at the next event we are both invited to.”

Ash spills on who he wishes he was matched with

Ash revealed to Behind the Edit that out of all the brides in season 11, he would’ve loved to have been paired with Cassandra Allen.

“In hindsight, she would’ve been a good match,” he remarked. “She’s as authentic as what you see on TV in real life, she’s really good.”

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Despite calls for him to return to the experiment next season for another shot at love, Ash asserted he would never appear on a reality dating show again - especially because he’s in the early stages of a new relationship.

“It's early days. It’s someone that I've known from the past,” he teased. “We never dated, but just someone I’d known.”

Subscribe to Yahoo Lifestyle's podcast Behind The Edit and listen to the full interview with Ash Galati here.

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