MAFS UK star's furious ex lashes out and claims he 'abandoned her' to go on E4 show

The ex of Married At First Sight UK star Steven Springett has claimed he 'abandoned her' so he could go on the E4 show.

TikTok star and single mum Melissa Stacey shared a video revealing the footballer had dated her prior to marrying someone else on TV in scenes that were aired earlier this week when the 2025 series started.

In what appeared to be a warning to other women, Melissa shared a video of her looking less than impressed with the words: "The same person who can buy you 100 roses and date you for months, can also lie to you and disappear to get married on national TV" followed by a crying face emoji.

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And fans didn't mince their words in the comments underneath. One wrote: "Wtf!! If it is Steven I've just searched him and Melissa even if he did seem like a nice person at the time you can do soooo much better xx you are beautiful inside and out girl don't forget it . Xx"

Melissa replied: "He seemed nice, showed his real colours eventually. Genuinely wish him the best though."

Another commented: "Nah girl by the way he treated you we can assume that he's on the show for publicity and not marriage." Melissa wrote back: "I've got text proof of that anyway from the horses mouth!"

Though Melissa went on to say it was "tempting to spill all", she said she wouldn't sell her story - even though she had already been offered money - because "that’s the nice loyal, genuine person I am. Unlike others."

Steven is a 34-year-old investment banking manager from Essex. Before that he used to play for Ebbsfleet United FC as a teen.

In response to Melissa's post, he claimed the relationship naturally came to an end as he "didn't see a future" with her. The Sun reports he said: "Melissa is a lovely girl and yes we dated for a couple of months, but ultimately things did not progress into anything official as I didn’t see a future in us. I then went onto the show to find a wife."

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Steven has been paired with wife Nelly on the show, a 30-year-old cosmetic dentist from Manchester. And though it's only week one, so far they are proving to be one of the show's strongest couples.

The two were happy with their first impressions, with Steven saying: "What an entrance," and Nelly commenting on how tall he is. But things turned a bit awkward when Steven revealed after the wedding he was a dad to two kids.

While he was nervous to tell Nelly about his children, she reassured him and said she appreciated his honesty on the situation.

In a clip from their honeymoon at a five-star resort in Jamaica, Nelly told the cameras things were going well as she said: "It kind of feels like we've known each other for ages. We don't really feel like strangers."

Steven seems to feel the same as he gushed: "Since the wedding, the feeling there is growing. It's definitely exceeding my expectations, the whole journey so far. At this moment in time, I think Nelly and I are a perfect match."

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