Why Lauren dumped Andrew in Married at First Sight – and where they are now
She dumped him after their wedding day!
It was arguably the biggest scandal of Married at First Sight Australia, when Lauren Bran left Andrew Jones hanging after their wedding day.
We're used to seeing couples matched up by experts then marrying literally as they first see each other when one walks down the aisle on the reality TV series.
But things didn't exactly go to plan for the season 4 couple when the show aired in 2017, as Lauren became a runaway bride.
Three years on, and as the show airs on E4, we take a look at the where the couple are now, and what exactly caused Lauren to do a runner.
Here's everything you need to know.
Why did Lauren and Andrew break up?
It looked like Lauren, 33, and Andrew, 38, had found their happily ever after once they said "I do."
The couple appeared to be enjoying each other's company on the day of their wedding, as they posed for photos and cut their wedding cake.
But things couldn't be more different for single mum Lauren, who then took off in very dramatic scenes without any notice.
Andrew - who works as a firefighter - says he was unable to reach her and wondered if she didn't like the way he looked.
"I haven't had any contact with Lauren so I still don't know the real story. I was wondering what it was about me that made her take off so quick," he revealed at the time.
"I was thinking somebody has not liked the look of me so much that they have taken off within hours... it's a flat out rejection. I tried to reach her and I didn't hear anything. I don't necessarily need an apology but an explanation might be good. It's had a big effect on me."
So what exactly was it that made Lauren do a runner?
Why did Lauren run away?
Days after she jilted him, the couple came face-to-face in an emotional meeting led by relationship psychologist, John Aiken.
Lauren tried to explain what was going through her mind at the time, saying: "It's been very stressful... I wasn't myself on the day and I was a lot more out of sorts than I normally would be."
She continued: "I was like, 'Oh my God I'm glad I didn't wear heels' and that sounds so vain but I was expecting someone quite tall.
"I was hoping for someone who had been through a broken marriage and had had kids. People can show empathy but some people don't get it until you've had kids yourself."
Lauren said she ultimately left because she felt vulnerable and was afraid of getting hurt.
"It was my way of dealing with things... it is from being hurt in the past. There's a lot more that goes to it."
Despite not having kids of his own, Andrew revealed that he'd spent years mentoring 12-year-olds, and Lauren seemed open-minded to repair their relationship, but it was just a little too late as Andrew decided he was no longer interested.
"The things that you need to rely on in a team mate weren't there at that stage and they might not be there again," he said.
Andrew and Cheryl
Andrew was given another shot on the show and was paired with hair salon assistant Cheryl Maitland, a bikini model, who had originally been paired with Jonathan.
However, they also broke up before the final decision and remain separated.
Where is Andrew now?
Following the experience, Andrew said he suffers from trust issues and he would never appear on a show like this again.
Speaking to Mail Online, he explained: “There’s still a bit of bitterness and PTSD almost – like you see the ad and you hear the voiceovers and you still get that rush of a feeling, like you know what’s going on."
Where is Lauren now?
A week after leaving the show, Lauren met her new partner Jake Barnett after he approached her at a local bar in Cronulla in Sydney's south and they confirmed the romance to OK! magazine.
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"We met locally through a local bar in the Shire," she said. "I was with my mum and that's when he came up to my table."
The pair sadly suffered a miscarriage in December 2017.
"It was emotional and I was surprised," she told news.com.au of her eight-week miscarriage.
The pregnancy wasn't planned – however Bran, 34, said the couple decided to embrace it.
"It was one of those things that happened and we were going to go through with it. But it wasn't healthy and I lost the baby and things weren't right."
She added that it was "heartbreaking" but that it "wasn't meant to be".
Married At First Sight Australia is on E4. Find out which of the Married At First Sight Australia couples are still together. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.
