It’s the end of the TV road for Altona Meadows’ John Robertson, who left Channel 9’s Married at First Sight on Monday night.
But if the interest he has generated since appearing on the show gives any indication, he won’t be alone for long.
As Star Weekly caught up with the divorced business owner at an Altona cafe, a woman on the next table leaned over and said to John:
“Excuse me, I’m sorry to interrupt you – I think you’re awesome, I think you’re a wonderful man, we watched you every night.”
John told her he really appreciated the comment.
In fact, so many women have expressed their appreciation of John that Channel 9 hosted a meet-and-greet for local women at Yarraville’s Railway Hotel on Monday night.
While John was at ease during the evening he said the TV experience “has been overwhelming”.
“I still hope to meet somebody but I think I’m going to have a break for a little bit,” he said.
During the series John was paired with former model Deborah, also 53, who on the day they met – at the altar – said: “I was expecting someone from the Polynesian islands, so now I’ve got to overcome that”.
Recapping his time on the show, John said he offered to move out of their hotel on their Somoan honeymoon after everything he did seemed to cause irritation.
“When you feel that you’re getting on somebody’s nerves, it’s awkward,” he said.
After the honeymoon, the couples had a commitment ceremony in which they had to write down and reveal if they wanted to stay or leave the marriage.
John wrote “leave” – and Deborah wrote “stay”.
“I was flabbergasted when she said ‘stay’ because I thought, this is a motza [certainty], we’re both gonna leave,” John said.
At that point, the show’s experts advised couples who gave different responses to reassess. “So, I did and I slept on it all that night and I thought, ‘Nah, if we’re not going to be a romantic item then what’s the point of going into the house [living as couples],” John said.
But he said he regrets nothing.
