It was the brutal break-up that shocked viewers on Married At First Sight Australia. The moment when Carina Mirabile left her on-screen husband Paul Antoine in tears as she dumped him at the alter at their Final Vows kept audiences hooked on this series on a cliff-hanger.
In the shock scenes, the digital marketing specialist, 31, told Paul why their relationship wouldn’t work as he said his vows, in the mistaken belief that they were ready to commit to their happy ever after. The 30-year-old wellness advisor spoke about their early connection, their honeymoon in Vanuatu, the laughs they shared and the connection they had and vowed to be a better man after admitting to making mistakes, before revealing his plans for them to move to Sydney together after the show’s end.
But as she gave her emotionally charged speech, Carina delivered a gut-punch that would leave Paul reeling. ‘You had me. I was yours,’ she started. Holding back tears, she said, ‘I gave you all of me. I showed you parts of myself I’d hidden for so long. I let you in… I let myself believe in you again.’
As Carina continued her speech, it became clear that there would be no fairytale ending for the couple. ‘But then… You made me feel small. You made me feel unsafe. You made me feel like I was not enough,’ she said.
What did Paul do to Carina?
Carina went on to list the incidents that caused their romance to come under strain and eventually fracture. ‘When you punched the door because of something I said… when you exposed my private comments to Awhina and the group… when you went on that ‘plan B’ date and said you were ‘just curious’… That was the moment I realised – you haven’t grown. You haven’t changed. You don’t deserve me,’ she told him.
Then came the lines that would break Paul’s heart. ‘You’re going to have to live with that regret for the rest of your life. Goodbye, Paul,’ she said. As her words sank in, Paul cried, she cried, they hugged each other but she pushed him away and walked off, leaving him shattered.
Carina later revealed the reason behind her decision, which came after weeks of red flags, disappointment and betrayal. ‘I’d had enough. There were so many red flags along the way. I forgave him so many times, but when it got to that last and final task, that was my breaking point. There was no turning back,’ she explained.
The final straw for Carina came after Paul secretly agreed to participate in the controversial ‘Plan B’ task, where the experts tested the couples’ loyalties by offering them the chance to date someone else. ‘When I read the final task out loud to myself, my gut intuition was screaming that something was off,’ she said. ‘I knew I was going to say no, but I kept thinking, “What will Paul say?” And if my gut is telling me there’s even a chance he’ll say yes, that’s a red flag in itself. I’m not 25 anymore. I don’t have time to muck around and ignore red flags when they’re right in front of me.’
She added, ‘I didn’t want to sabotage Paul or tear him down. That’s not who I am. I wanted to be the bigger person and stand my ground, but in a respectful way. It was a moment of self-worth – I had to make the decision for my future self.’
Where are Carina and Paul now?
Carina revealed that she and Paul remain on friendly terms despite their emotional split. ‘Time has gone by. When you live with someone every day, of course feelings grow stronger – but now, we’re just mates,’ she said. ‘Every once in a blue moon, I’ll check in to see how he’s doing. Mental health is so important, and I would never want him to struggle or go through hardship.’