Married At First Sight Season 4 stars Derek Schwartz and Heather Seidel surprised MAFS fans when they became the first couple on the show to file for a divorce two weeks into the social experiment. In a recent interview, Derek revealed that he reached out to Heather before the show’s premiere but failed to get a response.
Speaking to New York Post , Derek Schwartz shared that he has no ill feelings towards Heather Seidel despite the divorce. The 35-year-old account executive shared that he even added her on Facebook before the Married At First Sight Season 4 premiere.
“I reached out before the first episode aired, I found her on Facebook and sent her a friend request and sent her a message saying, ‘Are you excited for the show to come on?’ When we got our Twitter accounts, I reached out to her.?.?. Just trying to be friendly. I never heard back from her on either occasion.”
This Married at First Sight couple are getting divorced after just TWO WEEKS https://t.co/PzHzs2DKgL pic.twitter.com/cGBrRxF6pG
— Daily Mail Femail (@Femail) September 14, 2016
Derek admitted that he felt hurt when Heather decided to ask for a divorce. He held that his ex-wife had been so “closed off” and “judgmental,” focusing only on the things she did not like about him. The MAFS star explained that Heather told him that she had no problems with his smoking habits, which was not really the case. Derek said that if she had been honest from the beginning, instead of holding everything in, he would have gladly adjusted for the sake of their marriage.
Even though Derek and Heather had a few happy moments together, he admitted that they never really got intimate with each other.
“The second night that we were together, we went and got a bite to eat and we walked back to the hotel with our arms around each other. And really that was it. Other than that, there was never any hand-holding, hugging, any affection between us whatsoever,” he said.
Heather finally made her decision about Derek on Married at First Sight: https://t.co/b3P9n1mlbj #MAFS pic.twitter.com/1YTXtiWV5s
— The Knot (@theknot) September 14, 2016
Derek shared that he went on the show with high hopes, putting in his 100 percent, eager to find love. Unfortunately, things did not turn out the way he hoped they would. In the end, Derek still had nothing but nice words to say about Heather. He, however, regretted the fact that he learned more about his ex-wife watching Married At First Sight than when they were together.
“I’m sure she’s a great person, I’m sure there were wonderful qualities why she was chosen. I regret the fact that we didn’t get to learn that about each other, even if it was only for the six weeks.”
In an interview with The Knot , Pastor Cal Roberson, Married At First Sight Season 4 expert, said that he never wanted Derek and Heather to get a divorce, insisting that they are compatible with each other. Just like other MAFS couples Nick Pendergrast and Sonia Granados, and Tom Wilson and Lillian Vilchez, he believed that Derek and Heather had the “basic ingredients necessary to be successful” in a marriage. Pastor Cal, however, added that even after “extensive questionnaires, personal interviews, psychological evaluations, etc.,” MAFS experts won’t be able to guarantee marital success. He said that both parties should be willing to put in the work, look past each other’s differences, and learn to compromise.
“I truly didn’t want them to divorce. We have all heard it said that ‘marriage takes work,’ but I have to admit that no one can be adequately prepared for the difficulty these couples encounter in marrying a complete stranger,” he added.
Married At First Sight Season 4 airs Tuesdays on FYI.
[Image via FYI]