EXCLUSIVE: Many participants have had to leave their jobs after appearing on the Channel 9 reality show.

MAFS' Jacqui Burfoot / Ryan Donnelly.

A handful of MAFS 2025 participants have lost their jobs after appearing on the show. Photos: Matrix

A handful of this year’s Married At First Sight cast members have found themselves having to leave their day jobs and unable to find work following their rise to infamy. While there are a few fan-favourite participants who are tipped to become influencers when the show ends, that certainly isn’t the case for everyone in the cast.

Yahoo Lifestyle can reveal that Tim Gromie’s career as a primary school teacher is in doubt following the backlash he’s received online and complaints from parents at schools he has previously taught at. The controversial groom, who only appeared in a few episodes this season, left fans outraged when he brutally rejected his bride Katie Johnston at their wedding.

Meanwhile, Adrian Araouzou’s sports bag brand PAKD Sport appears to be suffering as a result of his appearance on MAFS, with the label’s social media pages becoming virtually inactive this year. The groom’s viral dessert account Sweet Sundayz – which he ran with his former best friend and influencer Jasmin Weston – has now been wiped too, with their friendship ending due to his appearance on the show.

An insider tells Yahoo Lifestyle that Ryan Donnelly gave up his job as a project manager to film for three months last year and has not been able to secure a job since, given the intensity of the show. It’s believed he is now doing various casual jobs in addition to pursuing a career as an actor.

MAFS' Katie Johnstone and Tim Gromie.

Tim Gromie’s career as a primary school teacher hangs in the balance following the backlash he’s received online. Photo: Channel Nine

Jacqui Burfoot told Sky News earlier this month that she is no longer able to work as a lawyer due to her ‘edit’ and the public backlash she’s received, and she believes it could be years until she’s able to return to her career.

“I essentially left my job after I tried to go back to work because I was mentally distressed and couldn’t work,” she said. “I wasn’t medically capable of performing my duties because I was under so much mental distress and trauma.”

The 29-year-old believes in order for her to return to work and be taken seriously in a professional setting she will have to change her name and dye her hair.

With this year’s season of MAFS approaching its end, Jacqui recently told Yahoo Lifestyle there are a lot of things she’s hoping to achieve post-show.

“I’m passionate about business and the only reason why I’d go another TV show is to restore my character and reputation,” she shared. “I’d love to be funny. I hope to be a bit of a Sophie Monk on social media because I find her very funny and I feel like we’ve got a similar sense of humour. So she is my role model now, and I’d love to be like her one day.

“I’m also ready, obviously, to settle down and start a family. So I guess we’ll see what happens.”