Married At First Sight Australia (MAFS Australia) star Ryan Donnelly has filed for a restraining order against his on-screen wife Jacqui Burfoot – who has in turn accused him of lying in his application.
Ryan and Jacqui were paired on the most recent season of the hit dating show but decided to separate in a tense final vows ceremony. And things quickly got heated off screens too, as Jacqui was granted an interim restraining order in the state of Tasmania, which prevented her on-screen husband from talking about her on social media.
What is an AVO?
Ryan responded by applying for an apprehended domestic violence order (AVO) against Jacqui which, according to the Local Court of New South Wales, ‘protects people by ordering a person known as the “defendant” not to assault, molest, harass, intimidate or stalk the protected person for a specific period of time.’
The order Ryan has applied for would stop Jacqui from being able to post about him online for two years.
If granted, Jacqui will also be prohibited from approaching or trying to contact Ryan, except through her lawyer, and be barred from assaulting, threatening, stalking, or intimidating Ryan or damaging anything he owns, including his dog Freya.
Speaking ahead of a court hearing, Ryan told reporters he had suffered ‘a lot of harm’ and had received ‘menacing messages’ after Jacqui had made ‘vicious’ and ‘malicious’ claims about him online.
He said, ‘An individual has tried to destroy my life, my potential for career options, collaborations … with false allegations, so men can be victims as well. At one point I was very afraid.’
Outside the courthouse, he said he wanted to move on with his life but he wanted 'to make sure I’m protected'.
'Justice should be served,' he told reporters. Ryan added that he thought the proceedings were a valuable use of the court’s time and opined he would 'have an extremely strong case' for defamation action against his on-screen wife.
The TV groom refused to comment on whether he would stop posting about Jacqui or withdraw from social media completely, noting MAFS is a 'program that can do wonderful things for people'.
Jacqui did not attend the hearing, but confirmed she would be fighting the application via an email. She claims the application was ‘founded on false statements and is in retaliation to my win in court'.
Jacqui maintains that Ryan's allegation that she ‘harassed him through direct messages’ is a lie and that their relationship lasted for just three months, when he claims it lasted for nine.
She added that his application was ‘a waste of court resources’ and that he ‘is using court proceedings in a way to mislead the public through the media.’
The matter will return to court on 24 June when both parties will be in attendance.
Samuel McManus is a senior content creator for Bauer Media, writing celebrity news and features across five of the company’s brands – heat, Closer, Grazia, Bella and Yours. Samuel has worked at Bauer Media since November 2024.