Without the limitations of an NDA, Awhina Rutene’s twin sister Cleo is free to tell all – and she’s not holding back!

She’s one of the most talked-about personalities on Married At First Sight this year, and yet, she’s not even a participant!

Here, Awhina Rutene’s fiery twin sister Cleo, 30, dishes the dirt to Woman’s Day on all of the secrets, scandals and storylines you’ve been desperate to find more about!
Awhina and Cleo stroll down the street arm in armAwhina’s twin sister Cleo (right) has become one of the most outspoken, and loved, identities from the show this year. (Credit: MATRIX)

On Awhina and Adrian

“I do not like Adrian. I’ve made that very clear. We are not on good terms. He’s just been extremely rude. And so when things turned around for them [in their marriage], I was shocked. But I do know that Awhina really wanted to make it work throughout the experiment.”

On homestays week

“Adrian flew to Perth for homestays [set to air this week] to meet Awhina’s family and he wasn’t even wearing his wedding ring! I pulled him up on it. I was like, ‘Where is your wedding ring!?’”

On those Awhina and Billy rumours

“I think Billy is a lovely guy and has been really supportive to my sister. I can also say that Billy has met my nephew [Awhina’s son], while Adrian has not, and will not meet him. My family have also all met Billy – but I think they’re just friends.”
Cleo sits with sister Awhina and Adrian at their MAFS wedding“I do not like Adrian, I’ve made that very clear. We are not on good terms,” she says of her sister’s MAFS husband. (Credit: Channel 9)

On applying for MAFS

“I was potentially going to go on the season that’s on air now. I initially filled out an application with Awhina and she got a phone call asking if we would both want to do it, but as we went through the process, something just wasn’t sitting right with me. And towards the end they said they only needed one of us anyway, so it worked out in the end. I will definitely not be going on the show [in the future].”

On that explosive family and friends lunch

“So much happened that you didn’t see. We were all having it out in front of the pub and afterwards, Awhina and I were sobbing. 
It wasn’t pretty. I was so scared for that to come on TV because Adrian and [his friend] Jasmine [Weston] had such a huge following and I was nervous all their supporters were going to attack me or come for me at my workplace. So it was really lovely to see all the support for me and my sister afterwards.”

On her romance with Paul

“I was at dinner with some friends [in 2022] and I saw Paul with his friend, so 
I approached him! I was seeing him for a couple of months, we went to dinner loads of times, we cooked breakfast together all the time. We had a great relationship but 
I just wasn’t ready to step into a serious relationship. I actually encouraged him to go onto The Real Love Boat. He’s a lovely person and we’re still friends to this day.”
Cleo sits at a table with Adrian's twin sistersCleo became an overnight star when she stuck up for her distraught sister at the family and friends lunch. (Credit: Channel 9)

On her feud with Carina

“She hasn’t [reached out to apologise] and 
I tried to add her on Instagram after I found out about the [calibre] comment but she didn’t accept my friend request. But after the airing, I saw her in Perth, and I walked up to her and said, ‘Hey, can we have a chat, just the two of us?’ and I found her to be very dismissive of me. The chat didn’t go as planned and so I walked away.”

On the wall punch incident

“Even though I know Paul is of great character, I would have made an example of him and kicked him off the show. You just can’t air those things, you need to show a strong front. This show is shown around the world, and you don’t want to say you accept this kind of behaviour.”

On the current police investigation

“Things do need to change. I do feel like there should have been more duty of care for the women on the show, for all the participants. But I feel like this season has been triggering for a lot of women that have gone through similar things.”
Carina and Paul walk arm in arm through the streets.Cleo shares that while she’s still remained friendly with her ex Paul, things are a little frosty between her and Carina. (Credit: MATRIX)