Married At First Sight‘s (MAFS) Jacqui Burfoot has officially responded to Ryan Donnelly‘s recent court appearance, where he sought out legal protection from his ex ‘wife’.
On Wednesday, April 25, Ryan Donnelly appeared in court for the first time since filing an Apprehended Domestic Violence Order (ADVO) against his MAFS ex, Jacqui Burfoot, in March.
Following his appearance, the 2025 bride shared a three-minute video on TikTok for “confused” (or should we say nosey) fans, where she answered a “bunch of questions”.
“I know everyone’s really confused, and they want to know what’s going on. I just want to clear up some misinformation that’s out there in the media currently,” Jacqui began.
The first thing Jacqui addressed was the claim that she didn’t show up for court. While she wasn’t there in person, the 2025 bride said she emailed the magistrate, asking to attend via video link. She then accused Ryan of making two false statements in his ADVO application, including the duration of their relationship.
“It was a five-minute proceeding, by the way, and it was not substantial. It was the first hearing,” Jacqui continued in her TikTok.
“So this was not an AVO. It was an ADVO, which means that it’s actually a domestic relationship. So the false statement he made was that we were in a relationship for nine months. You all know this is Married At First Sight, where you’re married for three months, and then we broke up. That was it. So, he’s actually made a false statement in order to be considered for a domestic violence order.
“The second false statement that he’s made is that I have been directly contacting him, and I have not directly contacted this man. Literally, we both blocked each other after Final Vows, and we never spoke again — except for Reunion, where we were forced to come back into the same room, and then we never spoke again after Reunion.
“So he’s lied not once, but twice in his actual application to even get this considered in court.”
Towards the end of her response, Jacqui referred to her Wednesday afternoon Instagram Stories, where she released photos of the ADVO application.
“I have literally released the court document that proves my innocence on this one, and proved not once, not twice, but three times, that he’s making complete false statements that can get him into a lot of trouble. And the reason why I’m not afraid to speak out is because I’m telling the truth. Like, if he wants to sue me for defamation, he’s more than welcome to,” Jacqui added.
The legal battle between Ryan and Jacqui kicked off after MAFS aired its Final Vows episode, where the pair brutally dumped each other at the altar.
Jacqui was first granted an interim restraining order against Ryan. Days later, Ryan applied for an ADVO from Jacqui. On Wednesday, Ryan officially fronted court since applying for the ADVO, alongside Shririn Razi from Azadi Lawyers, who will be representing him.
In court documents obtained by The Daily Telegraph, the 2025 groom claimed he received “horrible messages” from Jacqui’s followers.
After his court appearance, Ryan fronted reporters outside of Campbelltown Local Court, explaining he suffered “a lot of harm” from Jacqui’s alleged social media posts.
“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, per 9News.
“At one point, I was very afraid.”
The matter will return to court on June 24, as Magistrate Shane McAnulty was unwilling to grant Ryan’s order in Jacqui’s absence.
At the time of writing, Ryan had not responded to Jacqui’s TikTok. However, he did post a photo with the application, writing in the caption, “Truth and Justice will prevail”.
