His FBoy past revealed!
He’s been dubbed the ‘gentle giant’ of Married At First Sight this year, however a scorned ex-fiancée may have just laid bare the real Dave Hand, and he may not be the man the show is portraying him to be!
Stephanie Jaksch is believed to have been in a relationship with the Victoria-based builder, 36, for three-and-a-half years, even becoming engaged to him in late 2022, however their wedding was called off just 12 months into their engagement.
A source close to Dave Hand’s ex-fiancee has laid bare a different side to MAFS’ ‘gentle giant’ (Credit: MATRIX)
And while at the time, things were left on good terms, friends have spilled that things took a turn when she found out he had applied to appear on reality TV dating show FBoy Island Australia around the time of their split!
“They split, and as we all found out, he went straight on to apply to go on reality TV!” the pal tells Woman’s Day, adding they knew this because “applications for FBoy Island closed around the time of their split in November 2023.”
We hear that while Dave was unsuccessful with his application for FBoy Island Australia, production company Endemol Shine Australia saw something in him and “offered him MAFS, which he signed on to appear in early 2024.”
While the pair had moved on by the end of last year, Steph was still surprised to learn that Dave was set to tie the knot on the biggest show in Australia, MAFS, at the same time as the rest of the country.
Stephanie Jaksch was engaged to Dave for 12 months before splitting at the end of 2023. (Credit: Instagram)
“The advertising started and the grooms were revealed – that’s when Steph found out,” adds the source.
“No one wants to hear that their ex-fiancé is getting married let alone have that happen on national TV!”
But what’s said to have really stumped Steph is the ‘tough guy with a heart of gold’ edit he’s receiving.
“She’s had enough of his “good guy” narrative. Dave wasn’t ready for a serious relationship with Steph. That was very clear when they broke up. It is hard to imagine much had changed in the months between separating from her and going on MAFS.”
While it may be hard to escape, Steph is reportedly ready to close that chapter with Dave, with the source adding she “does not want to get involved with anything relating to Dave or MAFS.”
Jamie’s relationship with Dave is set to hit a snag this week on MAFS. (Credit: MATRIX)
Only finding out about Steph recently, Jamie is said to have been “blindsided” by the revelation.
“It is fair to assume that anyone going on this show would have had reasonable space between being engaged and getting married,” a separate TV insider spills, adding that Jamie feels as if “it’s all been a bit of a lie.”
The news comes as Dave’s marriage to Jamie is about to hit a snag during the experiment this week, with show insiders telling us we’re about to see a different side to the lovable larrikin the country has all fallen for.
We’re told that Dave begins to take a step back in his marriage when Jamie’s passionate personality becomes too much for him.
Jamie and Dave had been one of the strongest couples in the experiment. (Credit: Nine Network)
Combined with her fiery confrontation with fellow brides Carina Mirabile and Rhi Disljenkovic at last week’s dinner party, “Jamie dropping the ‘L bomb’ so early into the experiment has been a massive ick for Dave,” the insider spills.
To make matters even worse, we hear Partner Swap week is set to drive an even bigger wedge between the couple, as Dave is paired up with Jamie’s foe Veronica Cloherty.
