It’s been weeks since we saw Eliot Donovan and Veronica Cloherty walk up the aisle and say their vows on Married At First Sight Australia. It was the business owner’s second TV wedding, following his short-lived nuptials to Lauren Hall – who later married Clint Rice. So, was it love the second time around for him?
Who is Eliot Donovan?
Donovan is a 35-year-old entrepreneur from Queensland’s Gold Coast, who loves dogs. The eligible bachelor may sound like a dream man, but he is open about his high standards for his bride and future wife.
He made it clear that age is very important to him, particularly when it comes to having a younger wife. After being paired with Hall, who at 37 is two years older than him, he complained to the show’s producers that his ‘non-negotiables’ were not met as he had asked for someone ‘under 30’ or a ‘cute librarian-like girl’ rather than Hall, who was more like ‘a Kardashian sister’ in his words. He also didn’t like her ‘materialism’ and that she only wanted one child, and left after two days into their ‘honeymoon’.
Donovan was reminded he was ’35 and single’ as Aiken suggested that his relationships with younger women weren’t successful because he was ‘involved in a toxic pattern’ in a one-to-one conversation with dating expert John Aiken.
He became the first two-time groom on the show, while Hall became the series’ first bride to marry twice.
Who is Lauren Hall?
Like Donovan, Hall is a 37-year-old business owner from Queensland looking for love on the dating show. An ‘old school romantic’ and a wannabe ‘homemaker’, she was first paired with Eliot before cracks began to show in their relationship. She was next paired with pro-golfer and entrepreneur Clint Rice.
Who is Veronica Cloherty?
Cloherty is a 32-year-old personal trainer and actress – so still not quite fitting Donovan’s ‘under 30’ requirement.
Are Eliot and Veronica still together?
No, they are not. Donovan and Cloherty decided to call it quits during the sixth Commitment Ceremony, after weeks of strain. She said that she felt he was emotionally closed. ‘He didn’t really give me anything… It was like drawing blood from a stone with Eliot,’ she said.
She revealed it was enlightening to speak to Hall about her ex. ‘When I initially started to see signs of Eliot’s true colours, I was looking for someone who had also experienced him,’ she said.
‘No one else in the experiment had met him – she was married to him, she had the opportunity to meet friends and family at the wedding… and to be fair, towards the end of my relationship that’s what I saw in him as well.’
What happened between Eliot and Veronica?
Donovan and Hall’s union had started off well: they appeared to get on and he was empathetic when she opened up about her endometriosis. But it wasn’t long before tension arose between the pair. Cloherty was not impressed when he ‘shamed’ his former bride Hall for allegedly drinking five margaritas on their honeymoon and called him out, their first argument as a couple. Having sided with his ex and forming an alliance marked a turning point in their relationship.
At their first Commitment Ceremony, Cloherty said talking to Hall was ‘confronting’ and Donovan shocked everyone when he said his checklist of bride requirements has gone. The couple both decided to stay in the experiment.
During the photo ranking challenge, Donovan placed Cloherty first but she ranked him third in return, basing her decision on ‘men’s emotional availability’.
They went to the next dinner party separately, as tension between them grew at an all-time high, following several disagreements. It wasn’t long before they decided to end their relationship and leave the experiment.
Shereen Low is a senior news and entertainment writer at Grazia, and lives and loves all things showbiz