Married At First Sight bride Katie Johnston has been left feeling isolated and alone on the show after her groom Tim Gromie said he was disappointed in his match at their wedding and refused to move in to their shared apartment.
Now, Daily Mail Australia can reveal Tim also made it painfully clear he had no interest in getting to know her when camera’s weren’t rolling.
Exclusive photos show the 37-year-old sitting on a bench sipping coffee and looking downcast.
She also appeared pensive as she walked through the city alone at Social Society in Zetland with her headphones on and clutching a takeaway cup.
A production insider has revealed Katie did everything she could to salvage the situation with Tim, even attempting to build a friendship in hopes they could at least work together to stay in the experiment longer.
‘She really tried. Katie wasn’t just there for fame, she wanted guidance and to see if MAFS could put her on the right path,’ the insider told Daily Mail Australia.
‘She didn’t go in expecting a fairytale, but she at least wanted a shot at something real. Tim refused to give her that.’
According to the source, Tim had already ‘checked out’ of the experiment early on and made ‘absolutely no effort’ to form any sort of connection with his bride.
‘He was brutal. It wasn’t just that he wasn’t physically attracted to her, it was like he didn’t even want to be around her,’ they added.
‘He barely spoke to her off-camera. She would sit there trying to engage in conversation and he would just nod along, but you could tell he wasn’t listening.’
Katie, who had pinned high hopes on the social experiment, was reportedly ‘devastated’ by Tim’s disinterest.
‘She wanted to give it a real go and was willing to be flexible. If they couldn’t be romantic, she thought they could at least work together as friends and see where that took them. But he wasn’t even open to that,’ the insider explained.
During their wedding, Tim visibly recoiled from Katie’s touch and later confided in producers that she was ‘totally not what he wanted.’
His reluctance only intensified in the days that followed, leaving Katie with no choice but to navigate the experience on her own.
‘She felt like nothing was going right for her. She thought this could be the fresh start she needed, but instead, she was just left feeling even worse about herself,’ the insider said.
Despite the fractious beginning, the pair soldered onto their honeymoon in Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain, where the awkwardness persisted.
Tim once again sparked outrage, with fans branding him ‘foul’ and ‘awful’ after a crude remark directed at Katie left viewers reeling.
The controversial reality star made an offhand joke that sent social media into meltdown, with some fans even calling for him to be ‘banned from the show’.
During an awkward exchange, Katie tried to encourage some optimism in their relationship, expressing her hope that they could build something meaningful.
‘What would be your number one thing you want to do today?’ Tim asked his bride.
To which she cheekily joked: ‘Should we strip off nude and run around the forest?’
However, Tim’s response was anything but encouraging.
‘You do it, and I’ll just put the blinds up,’ he quipped, in a tone that many fans perceived as condescending and dismissive.
The moment quickly went viral, with fans taking to X to slam Tim’s behaviour.
”’You do it and I’ll put the blinds up” – at this point his pure existence is irritating. TF is actually wrong with you?’ one furious fan wrote.
Another added, ‘What a p**k of a thing to say to her about the blinds.’
The backlash didn’t stop there, with viewers criticising both his attitude and overall appearance.
‘Tim is beyond foul, inside and out. The outfits and lack of nail care, the slobbing in that hat & white singlet,’ a user commented, complete with a disgusted face emoji.
Others lamented their ongoing frustration with his presence on the show.
‘I’m not sure there’s enough wine left in Dan Murphy’s to get me through hate-watching the rest of this season!’ wrote another fan.
‘But unlike Tim, I am committed to try,’ they continued.
Tim’s behaviour has been a major point of contention throughout the season, with his reluctance to embrace his match with Katie leaving fans outraged.
He previously expressed disappointment in their pairing, stating that she didn’t match his ‘usual type’ and that he had no physical attraction to her.
The latest controversy follows a string of cringeworthy moments, including his awkward attempt to justify why he wasn’t interested in Katie.
‘I’m trying to get there, but I can’t force it,’ he said in a previous episode, further frustrating viewers who believe he was never genuinely invested in the experiment.
