MAFS star confesses ‘dirty secret’ as off-camera incident with bride exposed
“There’s no greater shame than hurting your parents,” MAFS groom Chris Nield admitted as he came clean about what he’d been hiding.
MAFS’ most controversial groom has come clean about a “dirty secret” he’s been hiding in the months since filming on the hit show wrapped.
Gold Coast tradie Chris Nield caused his fair share of drama during his short stint on Married at First Sight, with he and bride Brook Crompton’s messy split sparking a furore.
Away from the on-camera action, however, the reality star, 32, has faced scrutiny over his dark past, which includes a charge of common assault in 2015 and a sentence for driving a motor vehicle while exceeding the prescribed alcohol limit in 2019.
Now, however, Chris has confessed to a secret gambling addiction that – since the age of 18 – “pretty much just controlled and ruined” his life.
“I’d live paycheck to paycheck, spending money that I didn’t have, spending money on gambling and not on food and going two to three days without food,” Chris shared in an Instagram video on April 12.
“I’m only speaking about this now because I’ve got to the point where I’m like, you know, I’ve just been on this show, I’ve just put myself on national TV. They’ve shown this portrayal or this picture of who I am as a person, but it’s not, it’s not me.
“I’ve actually been hiding this little dirty secret,” he admitted. “I mean, obviously all my mates and friends know about it, but a lot of people don’t, and I think it’s really holding me back from being able to step up and really succeed in life. Always being afraid or being scared that people will find out.”
In an accompanying post, Chris explained that he’d come to realise it was “not worth hiding despite the embarrassment”.
“As I move forward, I’ve realised that one of the most powerful ways to keep growing is by stepping away from the environments tied to drinking, gambling and drugs,” he wrote.
“There’s no greater shame than hurting your parents, making them realise you’re not living up to your potential, and letting them down. But today, I’m fully committed to this new trajectory, one that’s only just started, and by no means am I fully over my old issues.
“Going on MAFS, being called out, and seeing myself for who I really was, has been a huge learning experience,” he added. “It’s shown me the person I was, and it’s been a powerful driver behind this change I’m making in my life.
“I’m not using this for views, I’m doing this to hold myself accountable as I will do whatever it takes to not revert to the life that was destroying me and those around me,” he concluded.
Chris’ mea culpa came just a day before his ex-bride Brook made damning allegations about him on social media.
The star – who is now pregnant and engaged to another man – took to TikTok to slam her reality show husband after watching the MAFS reunion episode, for which neither she nor Chris were present.
“When you finish watching MAFS and everyone’s like ‘there’s no edit’” she wrote, before accusing producers of “casually cutting” a moment where her on-screen husband admitted to drug use and acted out on the show.
“But yeah… ‘no edit’,” she quipped.
Woman’s Day has reached out to Chris for comment on Brook’s claims.
In his own confessional video, Chris explained he had now decided to “go sober” as a way to “better” himself further.
“I used going out, I used drinking, doing drugs as pretty much my getaway from my issues,” he said, adding that he now feels more “clearheaded”.
“I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do, what I want to focus my energy on. I’m still a chippy, I’m still in those groups where I have been doing these things so I’m trying to get some motivation, trying to figure things out.”