He stayed quiet as his bride Stella Mickunaite found herself at the centre of a ‘mean girls’ storm with fellow participant Brook Crompton.
But now Married At First Sight groom Filip Gregov has broken his silence – and he isn’t holding back.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s wild dinner party where the two women’s fight boils over, Filip, 37, accused Brook Crompton of ‘crossing the line’ and lifted the lid on what was really happening behind the scenes.
‘It was definitely brewing,’ he admitted, reflecting on the moment Stella revealed that Brook had questioned the authenticity of their relationship.
‘For some reason, Stella just seemed to trigger something in Brook big time.’
He said the friction began during the now-infamous Red Flag, Green Flag challenge and never truly went away.
Married At First Sight groom Filip Gregov has broken his silence on his wife Stella Mickunaite ‘mean girls’ feud with Brook Crompton
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s wild dinner party where the two women’s fight boils over, Filip, 37, accused Brook Crompton of ‘crossing the line’ and lifted the lid on what was really happening behind the scenes
While viewers watched Stella confidently praise her connection with Filip, Brook appeared unconvinced, probing for cracks and red flags.
According to Filip, that’s where things tipped over the edge.
‘Maybe it was the fact that there are absolutely no red flags on my behalf – so that’s credit to Stella,’ he said.
‘She was just talking freely. She didn’t need someone to butt in.
‘Yeah. I think Brook overstepped her mark, definitely.
‘Maybe upon reflection, she’s probably going to regret a lot of things that she’s done in the experiment.’
For Filip, the issue wasn’t just about one comment, it was about a competitive undercurrent among some of the brides.
‘It was definitely brewing,’ he admitted, reflecting on the moment Stella revealed that Brook had questioned the authenticity of their relationship
The friction, he said, began during the now-infamous Red Flag, Green Flag challenge – and never truly went away
‘If someone’s saying, “Hey, this is my relationship, this is working for me,” can’t you just accept it and move on?’ he said.
‘This whole competitive nature of where am I at versus where you’re at – it’s high school stuff.’
He added that the vibe among the grooms couldn’t have been more different.
‘At the boys, everyone was getting along, getting around each other. It was totally different vibes from the women and the men,’ he explained.
While viewers saw sparks fly between the brides, Filip insisted most of the male cast were quietly sighing on the sidelines.
‘All the lads for the most part were kind of giving a big old sigh when the women were kicking off,’ he revealed.
‘Behind the scenes, everyone was kind of getting around each other. We were good mates.’
That’s not to say there weren’t moments where tensions threatened to spill over.
While viewers watched Stella confidently praise her connection with Filip, Brook appeared unconvinced, probing for cracks and red flags (Brook pictured with husband Chris Nield)
‘You see a few guys that are about to go head to head just a little bit,’ he admitted.
‘But for the most part, it was all kittens and rainbows off air.’
Despite the chaos, Filip said he deliberately chose not to aggressively jump in when Stella clashed with the other brides.
‘I’m not really a confrontational person by nature,’ he explained.
‘We went into every dinner party and commitment ceremony with the mindset that if someone needs to address you, you can address yourself.’
He said Stella could hold her own.
‘From the absolute start of the experiment, she handled herself with grace and respect. I didn’t really need to step in,’ he gushed.
Away from the dinner parties and sharp exchanges, Filip insisted that the bride feud barely affected their private world.
Away from the dinner parties and sharp exchanges, Filip insists the bride feud barely affected their private world
‘Honestly, not too much,’ he said.
‘We were kind of busy working our own stuff out.’
He described his time with Stella as a ‘love bubble’, and the pair focused on what would happen beyond the experiment rather than getting swept up in the drama.
Still, the cracks between certain couples were impossible to ignore.
Filip admitted he questioned whether some relationships were as authentic as they appeared.
‘It came across as really perfect,’ he said of Gia and Scott’s glowing assessment.
‘I knew Scotty was fully tapped in… I always tried to believe G’s intentions were the best, but she kind of let herself down with the interactions she had with the other women.’
As for Brook and her groom Chris Nield, Filip said he believes the feelings weren’t evenly matched.
As for Brook and her groom Chris, Filip said that he believes the feelings weren’t evenly matched
‘I couldn’t really see her intentions. I didn’t think they were as pure as Chris’s,’ he said.
‘Chris fell pretty hard. He did a full 180.’
Now, with Intimacy Week underway and the infamous ‘ultimate fantasy’ night looming, Filip admitted things were about to get even more revealing.
‘We had a great intimacy week,’ he said.
‘Stella felt a little bit uncomfortable with the ultimate fantasy night… I think she polished off half a bottle of wine before that kicked off,’ he added with a laugh.
For Filip, stripping back emotionally – and physically – on camera was a new challenge.
‘It was a new thing for me, stripping it down in front of the cameras,’ he said.
But unlike some couples who desperately needed an intimacy boost, he insisted that he and Stella were already in a strong place.
‘We didn’t really need the intimacy bump. We had such a strong connection from the honeymoon,’ he said.
Perhaps most tellingly, Filip said the overwhelming public support for Stella has validated what he witnessed firsthand.
‘When we were in the experiment, it was getting to her a little bit,’ he explained.
‘She was like, ‘How can women talk to other women like that?’
Now, with viewer polls reportedly backing Stella in a landslide, he said she feels seen.
‘People watching the show aren’t dumb. They know exactly what time it is,’ he said.
‘I’m glad it’s getting called out.’
Married At First Sight continues Wednesday at 7.30pm on Channel Nine.
