3 days ago
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For weeks, viewers have been watching Married At First Sight bride Gia Fleur attempt to salvage her marriage to Scott McCristal as their turbulent relationship continues to unfold on national television.
But away from the cameras, the reality of Gia's love life has taken a very different turn.
In a Daily Mail exclusive, the 35-year-old has confirmed she has moved on from the experiment and found love with Love Triangle star Alan Wallace - with the pair quietly developing a relationship in the months after filming wrapped.
What began as a slow-burn connection has now turned into something far more serious, with the couple revealing they are officially in a relationship and already discussing a future together.
Gia revealed the pair had been speaking for some time before their romance officially began around the start of the year.
'The relationship began officially around New Year's Eve, but we were talking for a couple months off and on before then,' she explained.
Married At First Sight's Gia Fleur has confirmed she has found love with Love Triangle star Alan Wallace while her on-screen marriage to Scott McCristal continues to play out on television
What began as a slow-burn connection has now turned into something far more serious, with the couple revealing they are officially in a relationship and already discussing a future together
Gia's relationship with Scott McCristal is playing out on screens. Both pictured
According to Gia, their first interaction actually happened toward the end of filming for the Channel Nine experiment, when the pair crossed paths for the first time at a Vodka Soda & Party in Sydney after being introduced by Daily Mail's Ali Daher.
'We FaceTimed during the last week of filming, but officially met in person for the first time at a party in December,' she said.
Despite only just meeting properly that night, Gia admits she immediately felt a strong attraction toward Alan - and quickly realised she had her eye on him.
'When I saw Alan for the first time I knew I liked him because I was getting super jealous of him speaking to another girl,' she confessed.
'I was following him around most of the day trying to see if they were going to kiss or not. I was instantly like that's my man - he just doesn't know it yet.'
While the chemistry was obvious from the start, Gia insists her feelings grew stronger as she realised how closely their values aligned.
'What drew me to him was that he was emotionally mature and deep, and seemed to be everything on paper I had asked the experts for,' she said.
'I knew from the attachment styles he had that I had and things we both wanted that this was very much more than chemistry but compatibility.'
Gia revealed the pair had been speaking for some time before their romance officially began around the start of the year. 'The relationship began officially around New Year's Eve, but we were talking for a couple months off and on before then,' she explained
While the chemistry was obvious from the start, Gia insists her feelings grew stronger as she realised how closely their values aligned
For Gia, the moment the relationship shifted from a casual connection into something meaningful happened after she relocated to Melbourne after a short stint on the Gold Coast and found herself wanting to spend every possible moment with him.
'I knew it was more than a casual fling when I moved back to Melbourne and wanted to spend every single day with him and did,' she said.
'I missed him when I was with him and we both were literally obsessed. I wanted someone obsessed with me and we both are mutually.'
Alan, 35, who previously appeared on Stan's dating series Love Triangle, admitted he initially approached the situation cautiously given the intensity of Gia's recent reality TV experience.
'Coming off a f**king experience like that I knew it would be very confronting,' he said, referring to the aftermath of the MAFS experiment.
'I wasn't sure how ready she would be or if she would even want to get into something serious that soon after.'
Despite those concerns, he admitted he was drawn to Gia from the beginning and quickly became intrigued by the attention she was showing him.
'I was obviously interested and attracted to her, but what really stood out was the effort she was putting in,' he said.
For Gia, the moment the relationship shifted from a casual connection into something meaningful happened after she relocated to Melbourne after a short stint on the Gold Coast and found herself wanting to spend every possible moment with him
'What drew me to him was that he was emotionally mature and deep, and seemed to be everything on paper I had asked the experts for,' she said
'Even when I wasn't really showing her much interest at the start, she was still asking friends about me and wondering what I was doing.'
Alan revealed that Gia had been quietly keeping tabs on him long before their relationship officially began.
'When I went to Thailand last year she was asking around to see what I was doing,' he said.
'I didn't think she was that interested at the start, but over time I realised she was definitely putting in the effort and I wasn't really matching her energy in the beginning.'
According to Alan, the turning point in their relationship came when they stopped discussing reality television altogether and began focusing on their real lives and long-term values.
'When I had a bit of a conversation with her about not wanting to constantly talk about MAFS and all the reality TV stuff, that's when things started to change,' he explained.
'We began having deeper conversations about life and where we see ourselves going, and I realised a lot of our values and the way we view the world are very similar.'
'That's when I started to see there was something more there than just attraction.'
With Gia's marriage to Scott still playing out on screens across Australia, the couple have had to keep their relationship largely under wraps to avoid spoiling the show's storyline
'Navigating the new relationship has been hard, which is why I've done no Stan show and minimal press because I can't keep pretending I'm with Scott when I'm so in love with Alan,' she said. Gia and Scott pictured during filming
The transition from television drama to real life romance, however, has not been without its complications.
With Gia's marriage to Scott still playing out on screens across Australia, the couple have had to keep their relationship largely under wraps to avoid spoiling the show's storyline.
Gia admits navigating that situation has been emotionally difficult.
'Navigating the new relationship has been hard, which is why I've done no Stan show and minimal press because I can't keep pretending I'm with Scott when I'm so in love with Alan,' she said.
'It's hard to be fake and lie and I don't want to upset Alan, so we're just focusing on our real life together.'
Alan revealed he made the decision early on not to watch Gia's storyline unfold on television.
'I started watching the first episode she was in but after that I decided I didn't want to see it,' he admitted.
'I didn't want to watch her with another guy and have it play with my emotions because I'm pretty sensitive like that.'
Gia made no secret of her relationship with her co-stars, stepping out with Alan at her 35th birthday in January
The couple held hands as they were spotted leaving Criniti's in Melbourne alongside their co-stars
Instead, he said the couple have chosen to focus on their relationship away from the cameras while waiting for the show to finish airing.
'We've had to be really respectful of her being on the show and not ruining the storyline,' he said.
'Up until recently we've mostly just been spending time together at home and laying low.'
In fact, Alan revealed they only recently had their first proper public date.
'Last night was the first time we've actually been out on a date together,' he said.
'Before that we were just hanging out privately and waiting until things on the show started to wrap up.'
While the couple have kept things quiet publicly, Alan says the relationship has already become extremely serious behind closed doors.
'It's very serious now,' he said.
Gia also addressed the breakdown of her marriage to Scott, revealing the exact moment she realised their relationship could not be salvaged
'I knew my feelings for Scott were gone after the final dinner party when he treated me like a piece of shit,' she said
'I've asked her to be my girlfriend and we're officially together.'
He added that the pair are already discussing their future and building a life together.
'She's moving in and things are progressing in the right way,' he said.
'We reassure each other every day and there's no insecurities or grey areas. We both know exactly what we want.'
'It's definitely not a showmance. It's a real relationship.'
Gia also addressed the breakdown of her marriage to Scott, revealing the exact moment she realised their relationship could not be salvaged.
'I knew my feelings for Scott were gone after the final dinner party when he treated me like a piece of shit,' she said.
'I tried one last time and he proved again he was never really into me, just the airtime that I gave him.'
She claims their dynamic deteriorated further during the reunion and subsequent publicity commitments.
'He was so rude at the reunion and during publicity and didn't even treat me like a human,' she said.
According to Gia, the issues between them went far deeper than what viewers saw on screen.
'He didn't respect me when it came to speaking to other women and exes and having photos with exes,' she said.
'I rarely felt complimented or reassured and I never really felt secure.'
'I felt used.'
She also said their long-term goals were fundamentally different.
'He didn't want kids and I did,' she said.
'I wanted to leave the experiment with him because I thought he was there for the right reasons.'
'But in the end he proved he was just there for clout because he played me and didn't leave with me.'
Daily Mail has reached out to Scott McCristal for comment.
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