MAFS' Awhina's sister Cleo reveals secret 'romance' with Paul: 'Whirlwind'

From Rhi Disljenkovic and Jeff Gobbels to Jamie Marinos and Teejay Halkias, this year’s season of Married At First Sight is filled with past connections. It was revealed on Thursday evening that not only did Paul Antoine date his partner Carina Mirabile before filming the reality show, but he also had a “whirlwind romance” with Awhina Rutene’s twin sister Cleo.

Cleo, who recently appeared on the show during Awhina and Adrian Araouzou’s disastrous family visit, told Daily Mail that she and Paul dated in 2022. She explained that their relationship began shortly after she ended a long-term relationship but right before he appeared on the Channel 10 reality show The Real Love Boat.

“I met Paul in 2022, shortly after becoming single following an eight-year relationship. It was an instant spark, and we shared a whirlwind romance for a couple of months,” she detailed, adding that it didn’t work out because the timing wasn’t right and she needed to be by herself.

“At no point was this hidden, and when Paul first met Awhina at the dinner party, they addressed it openly, with Paul telling his wife, Carina.”

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Cleo also addressed Paul’s controversial incident on the show when he "lost control" and punched a hole in a door during an argument with Carina, asserting that she does not support his outburst.

“In the three years I've known Paul, he has never shown any aggression,” she said. “He's a genuinely happy person who enjoys life, good company, and great food.

“I know he's deeply disappointed in himself, especially because he has a younger sister and strives to be a good role model. While this doesn't excuse his actions, I can only speak from my personal experience with Paul.”

Jamie and Teejay's 'hook-up' edited out of the show

This comes shortly after it was revealed that Jamie and Teejay hooked up around a decade ago when they both lived in Adelaide and remained friends.

Teejay’s bride Beth Kelly told Yahoo Lifestyle that the bombshell was dropped at her wedding while the cameras were rolling, but wasn’t shown on TV because it “wasn’t really a big deal”.

“Jamie came over and told my bridesmaid and my sister but I wasn't at the table at the time,” she detailed. “And then obviously Teejay knew what she told them and he basically just said to me that they were friends, they’d known each other since they were like 18 I think, and that it was just a drunken fumble that happened. So I kind of just had to take his word for it at the time.”

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The UK-born bride admitted that she was “a little bit worried” about Jamie’s relationship with Teejay and whether they would form a cheating scandal on the show. However, she soon realised “there was literally nothing going on” and has since become good friends with Jamie.

“There were no vibes between them,” she remarked. “I knew that Jamie obviously was really into Dave [Thomas Hand], so I found it out and I just let it go. It really didn't bother me, it didn't fester at all. There was nothing really to it and it was kind of irrelevant, to be honest.”

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