A former contestant on New Zealand's edition of Married at First Sight has died at the age of 33.
Andrew Jury was one of the stars of the first season of the show, appearing on it in 2017 when he was 26 years old.
During filming, Jury had been paired with Vicky Gleeson-Stokes, but the pair were regularly at odds in their relationship and ultimately decided to separate.
News of Jury's death was announced on Instagram by fellow Married at First Sight contestants Brett and Angel Renall, and Benjamin Blackwell in a joint statement.
They said: "It's with the heaviest hearts we've come together to acknowledge the passing of Andrew Jury.
“We had the absolute pleasure of filming and participating in a show which leaves us intricately linked for a life time.
“Despite his struggles, Andrew was always friendly and the life of the party during our shared experience and he really valued his time on the show.
“At this time our entire cast wish to send our deepest condolences and love to his family - Ben, Angel, Brett, Vicky, Haydn, Lacey, Claire, Dom, Aaron, Luke, Belinda."
Fellow contestant Haydn Daniels told Stuff NZ: "Everyone from our series is in shock."
Daniels spoke about catching up with his friend every couple of months and shared that things seemed to be looking up.
He wrote: “He seemed to be aware of his issues and was getting help.”
Daniels previously opened up about his struggles on MAFS, telling Stuff in 2019: “These shows, if you go on them and if you have any demons or issues, it exasperates them.
“It was tough for me, but I managed to get the support I needed and move on.
“You’re anonymous and then suddenly everybody knows who you are and you go back to normal life and it’s quite tough.”
Claiming this puts a spotlight on the support available from producers of the show, he added: “Duty of care was pretty lacking for us and I think it’s a conversation that needs to keep happening and evolving about what happens afterwards.
“It was very, very intense. It became very stressful for everyone, I know most of the cast struggled with it. Most of them managed to put it behind them and move on.
“I just hope that people can get that wraparound support and hopefully the public can realise what they see on TV is not the be all and end all, and be kinder to people.”
A Warner Bros. Discovery spokesperson said: “All MAFS NZ contributors have access to mental health professionals throughout the process, including pre-screening, during production and after broadcast.
“Warner Bros. Discovery expresses our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Andrew Jury.”
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/Channel 4Topics: Married At First Sight, Mental Health, Reality TV, TV And Film
Joe Harker