‘I love acting, but now I’m a psychic’: MAFS bride is oddly familiar

If you thought you’d see new bride Madeleine before, you’d be right; she was a fixture on telly for years.

Bride Madeleine Maxwell had her big debut on Married At First Sight tonight, but it’s far from the 30-year-old’s first time on the small screen.

We’re not just talking minor roles as an extra either.

Madeleine was a proper working actress, playing regular roles on Home and Away, Wentworth, Upper Middle Bogan and many more.

But when she heard the call to be a psychic medium, everything changed.

“I love acting,” she told Nine. “I think it’s so fun and cool, but I took a break because it’s my path, I guess.”

If speaking to the spirit world is one of Madeleine’s paths, marrying Ash on MAFS must be a parallel one because after a brief hiccup on tonight’s episode, it seems the pair are happily matched.

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At first Madeleine was getting a bad reading from Ash. Photo: Nine

MAFS psychic medium is just what the show needs

At first glance, Madeleine isn’t that different from the typical tall, blonde MAFS bride.

But then she opened her mouth at the wedding ceremony, and we knew we were in for some great entertainment.

Following her husband’s carefully crafted, written vows, Madeleine gave a speech that was off-the-cuff and straight from the heart.

“I’m annoying,” she began. “I am. I want you to know that.

“I’m annoying because I love people deeply and because I’m super kind. When I love people deeply, I expect love in return, and I hope you can love me and my strange quirks.”

Ash looked like he felt trapped as he listened to Madeleine’s vows, but to his credit he said later that he was all in, keen to learn what the “strange quirks” were.

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Madeleine was quick to reveal one of them immediately after the ceremony.

During an interview with the producers, she was strangely quiet, looking off into the distance.

“Are you receiving… things… right now?” the confused producer asked.

“I’m getting really bad vibes about him,” Madeleine replied.

Based on the negative reading, Madeleine was distant during the photoshoot, but lucky for Ash he knew how to pique his wife's interest. 

He told Madeleine that he’d sensed a ghost in his room the night before and suddenly she was back on board, smiling and laughing.

“Wait until I tell you what happened last night,” he said. “I felt like there was something over me.  I think the house is probably haunted.”

“I love that!” was her excited reply.

“That’s pretty vulnerable for a man to share something like that,” she said later. “It’s pretty cool. I feel like he was open to psychic stuff.”

But then he revealed he'd been visited by a spirit, and she was all in. Photo: Nine

Madeleine Maxwell was on TV

Madeleine acted on Australian television for almost 10 years before changing careers.

She played Brianna Wheeler on Upper Middle Bogan between 2013 and 2016, and Nurse Lee Radcliffe on Wentworth between 2016 and 2018. Her longest role though was on Home and Away, where she played Amber Simmons over 55 episodes from 2020-2021. Amber was Dean Thomspon’s ex-partner and mum to his son Jai.

It seems that Madeleine is ready for the next chapter, which is to talk to spirits in the afterlife and star on a reality show. And to be honest, all the fighting and bad relationship dynamics are getting a bit old; we reckon her quirks are just the kind of bizarre drama the show needs.

In the words of Madeleine, “Love conquers all, and bring the f**king party!”

Originally published as ‘I love acting, but now I’m a psychic’: MAFS bride is oddly familiar