Sunrise host Nat Barr stunned by MAFS star Tayla Winter interview

2023 MAFS star Tayla Winter turned up on a rival network and unleashed in a rogue interview, leaving Sunrise host Natalie Barr in shock.

One of the most controversial stars of this year’s season of Nine’s Married At First Sight has appeared on a rival network to drop bold claims about the series.

Tayla Winter – who was matched with Hugo Armstrong on the reality show – stunned Sunrise hosts David Koch and Natalie Barr on Thursday with her grim warning about how “dangerous” and “scary” the format is for those participating.

Winter, 27, described how she was expecting a “really fun experience” when she decided to sign up for the controversial series.

“I thought I’d meet a lot of people, we could party in Sydney – I was on a bit of a break from work – and potentially meet someone that was really nice,” she said.

“For me, the worst case scenario in my head was, I still come out with a lot of friends. I could never have imagined what it was actually like.”

Barr then asked her whether she’d “warn people not to go on MAFS” in the future.

“I think it’s really dangerous,” Winter replied.

“I know that some of my castmates are really struggling.

“I’ve been struggling … I hope that people just understand what it’s really like and that’s why I’m trying to spread a bit of awareness about it because … I truly believe someone will end their life over this show one day.”

Winter unleashed on the show and its producers. Picture: Seven

Barr was clearly stunned by her claims. Picture: Seven

Her blunt response clearly shocked Barr, who told her: “Oh, wow, that’s a serious claim. We’re sorry that happened to you.”

Winter’s relationship with Armstrong provided some of the most dramatic moments on the 2023 season of MAFS, with the bride even storming out of a commitment ceremony and declaring she was “going back to (Tasmania) after a tense conversation with her TV partner.

The fiery exit came after Armstrong allegedly called Winter the “C-word” during a vulgar spray which was overheard in an accidental “butt dial”.

She eventually returned to the experiment to give him “a second chance”, but was rejected by Armstrong, and the pair announced their split to their fellow castmates that night.

Speaking about the experience to Sunrise, Winter insisted she was given “a bad edit” which had left her vulnerable to endless online trolling and abuse.

Winter claimed she and other castmates were “struggling”.

“The way the (editing) is done is unethical,” she told Barr and Koch.

“Going into the show, I had no idea how controlled it would be. There is a lot of manipulation and coercive control and it’s pretty scary once you’re over there (on set).

“You’re not in your home state, you’re surrounded by all of these camera crews, all these people you don’t know.

“It’s quite intimidating and you say and do things under a really high-pressure environment.

“You quickly regret those things that you do and that you said.”

When Barr pointed out that reality shows are well-known for being heavily edited, Winter hit back with a furious claim about producers.

“You build trust and what you think is a really strong relationship with (producers) and it’s all fake,” she said.

“There’s a lot of pressure to say things and do things that you don’t feel comfortable with.

“I slept on the couch the entire time throughout the experiment and it wasn’t seen that Hugo had the bed.

“But they needed that narrative to suit what character they wanted from me and what character they wanted from Hugo.”

When contacted by news.com.au, a Nine spokesperson said the network takes its obligations in respect to the “health and wellbeing” of the show’s participants “extremely seriously”.

“All participants have access to the show psychologist during filming, during broadcast and once the program has ended,” the spokesperson said.

“Nine also have an additional service for participants should they like or need further individual and confidential psychological support.

“This service gives participants access to clinicians who have been specifically engaged to support those involved in the program in relation to their experiences. This service is available to all participants for as long as they need it, it does not end.

“Nine provides all participants with ongoing support for the duration of the show and we monitor all participant’s social media accounts so that we are aware of and manage any negative commentary. We are very proactive in this space, and care for the health and wellbeing of the participants.

“As a result of the level of interest in the participant’s personal lives and volume of commentary on every post, Nine manages all individual MAFS social accounts with their permission, as an extra measure of protecting them from negativity.”

Originally published as Sunrise host Nat Barr stunned by MAFS star Tayla Winter interview