Married At First Sight groom Ryan Donnelly applied for an Apprehended Violence Order (AVO) against former TV bride Jacqui Burfoot at Campbelltown Local Court on Wednesday, claiming she has attempted to 'destroy his life'.
Donnelly, 36, and Burfoot, 29, were paired together in the most recent season of the hit Australian reality TV series but chose to separate during an insult-laden Final Vows ceremony.
Their bickering went from the small screen to the courtroom when Burfoot was granted an interim restraining order in Tasmania, preventing Donnelly from talking about her on social media.
Donnelly retaliated by applying for an apprehended domestic violence order against Burfoot, which came before Sydney's Campbelltown Local Court on Wednesday.
The ex-reality TV star told reporters, along with his representative Shirin Razi from Azadi Lawyers, that he suffered 'a lot of harm' and received menacing messages as a result of 'malicious' claims Burfoot made about him online.
'An individual has tried to destroy my life, my potential for career options, collaborations... with false allegations, so men can be victims as well,' he said outside the courthouse, adding that he 'was very afraid' at one point.
Married At First Sight groom Ryan Donnelly, 36, applied for an Apprehended Violence Order (AVO) against former TV bride Jacqui Burfoot, 29, at Campbelltown Local Court on Wednesday, claiming she has attempted to 'destroy his life'
'I've had a lot of suffering, a lot of harm, as a result of these claims online,' he continued.
'There is no foundation for it. It's vicious, malicious... justice should be served.'
He added: 'It doesn't matter if it's man or woman, people shouldn't be able to get away with lies... I take this matter very seriously.'
Donnelly applied for a restraining order which would stop his TV wife publishing anything about him or his friends on social media for two years.
It would also bar Burfoot from assaulting, threatening, stalking, or intimidating Donnelly or damaging anything he owns—including harming his dog Freya.
If the AVO was granted, she would be prohibited from approaching him or trying to contact Donnelly, except through her lawyer.
Burfoot, who is living in Tasmania with fellow MAFS groom and new fiancé Clint Rice, was required to appear in court on Wednesday but instead sent an email opposing the restraining order.
Magistrate Shane McAnulty told the court he was unwilling to grant the order in her absence and asked the parties to prepare submissions before the matter returns to court on June 24.
Donnelly and Burfoot were paired together in the most recent season of the hit Australian reality TV series but chose to separate during an insult-laden Final Vows ceremony
Their bickering went from the small screen to the courtroom when Burfoot was granted an interim restraining order in Tasmania , preventing Donnelly from talking about her on social media
Outside the courthouse, Donnelly said he wanted to move on with his life but he wanted 'to make sure I'm protected'.
He said he thought the proceedings were a valuable use of the court's time and believed he would 'have an extremely strong case' for defamation action against his on-screen wife.
The TV groom refused to comment on whether he would stop posting about Burfoot or withdraw from social media completely, noting MAFS is a 'program that can do wonderful things for people'.
In court documents seen by The Daily Telegraph, Donnelly claimed he had received 'horrible messages' from followers as a result of claims Burfoot has made about him online.
'[Donnelly] states the defendant has publicly accused him of domestic violence, sexual harassment, that he is a danger to women and that she is doing a 'public service to Australia',' the documents read.
'Due to [Burfoot's] followers online, which (exceeds) 100,000 people… Donnelly is truly scared of what may happen next, as he has received numerous horrible messages directly from people who have viewed her content.'
'Donnelly is taking this seriously, he's engaged a lawyer to represent him in these proceedings,' legal representative Ms Razi told the publication.
'All he wants is for her to leave him alone and stop the online slander.'
Donnelly retaliated by applying for an apprehended domestic violence order against Burfoot, which came before Sydney 's Campbelltown Local Court on Wednesday
The ex-reality TV star told reporters he suffered 'a lot of harm' and received menacing messages as a result of 'vicious' and 'malicious' claims Burfoot made about him online
Donnelly went on to tell reporters outside the courthouse it is 'dangerous' to be associated with some of the things Burfoot has said about him online.
'I'm here to make sure that doesn't happen in the future. At one point, I was very afraid,' he said.
It comes just a few weeks after Burfoot was granted an interim restraining order in a Tasmanian court against Donnelly.
The order prevents Donnelly from commenting on social media about Burfoot, after the pair exchanged barbs on Instagram and in the press for months.
While the battles between exes are par for the course on MAFS, Burfoot argued to Launceston magistrate Sharon Cure that Donnelly's conduct had escalated.
In addition to citing Donnelly's social media posts, she read aloud an interview Daily Mail Australia had conducted with Donnelly last month.
She described the article to the magistrate as Donnelly 'accus[ing] me of accusing him of a lack of consent'.
Ms Cure, who acknowledged she did not watch MAFS or reality TV in general, was satisfied Burfoot had been harmed by Donnelly's public posts—but also warned her that misleading a court was a very serious matter.
'An individual has tried to destroy my life, my potential for career options, collaborations... with false allegations, so men can be victims as well,' he said outside the courthouse, adding that he 'was very afraid' at one point
Burfoot, who is living in Tasmania with fellow MAFS groom and new fiancé Clint Rice, was required to appear in court on Wednesday but instead sent an email opposing the restraining order
Burfoot told the magistrate she wanted an order to prevent Donnelly, who lives in NSW, from publishing material about her.
But she was advised that if he were ordered 'not to say or do anything', the final episodes of MAFS would not be allowed to air.
'I'm happy for the show to go ahead,' Burfoot responded, per the Canberra Times.
Instead Ms Cure granted an interim order that Donnelly not directly or indirectly threaten, harass, abuse or publish denigrating material on social media.
Burfoot, who was accompanied by her partner and MAFS co-star Rice at court, was advised against using social media herself, but was not the subject of an order.
The Final Vows segment with Burfoot and Donnelly featured some of the most bizarre scenes the Nine series has ever seen, with Burfoot accusing Donnelly of organising 'a gang attack' on her.
She then tore the groom down with several pages of lengthy vows before leaving him cussing her out at the altar while she promised to return with a new man.
'There has been a lack of romance, a lack of effort from you, poor communication, no compromise, and dominance,' Burfoot said in her speech.
The Final Vows segment with Burfoot and Donnelly featured some of the most bizarre scenes the Nine series has ever seen, with Burfoot accusing Donnelly of organising 'a gang attack' on her
Burfoot finished her vows with: 'As a man, you're not perfect. It's not the 1920s any more. I don't want to be the wife to a man. I want to be a wife to a husband.
'So, today, I choose peace and walk away from this relationship. Ryan, in a world of red flags, you are the red carpet.'
As Burfoot left Donnelly at the altar, he called out to her: 'Thanks for all the criticism. You really haven't grown. Not one bit. Be gone with you, you horrible woman.'
But as producers pulled Donnelly aside to listen to him trash talk his former TV wife, Burfoot was telling producers she had a feeling a new partner would come her way.
In a shocking 'couple swap' moment, Burfoot then shacked up with co-star Rice, who was originally paired up with bride Lauren Hall.
If you need someone to talk to about domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800respect.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.
