Exclusive: MAFS groom Jackson opens up about his biggest heartbreak

The new season of Married At First Sight kicks off on January 31, and while we know who the brides and grooms for Season 9 are we've found out a little more about one groom.

Jackson is a 30-year-old plumber from Victoria, and described as outgoing and upbeat, a larrikin who is also a bit of a class clown.

But he hasn't had much luck finding love and has been single for three years.

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In an exclusive interview with 9Entertainment, Jackson opened up about his "toxic" past which led to his worst heartbreak as a teenager.

"I was about 17 and we were together for about three years," he told 9Entertainment.

The groom explained his girlfriend at the time didn't like him talking to his female friends, so as a result he didn't want her talking to boys.

READ MORE: Exclusive: MAFS bride Ella shares surprising detail about her dating life

"It got very toxic to the point that we weren't allowed to talk to the opposite sex, which wasn't very healthy," Jackson said.

The lack of trust led to the pair cheating on each other, which he thinks they both did out of spite.

"I'm pretty sure she cheated on me and then I cheated on her to get back... It was just all around toxic," he admitted.

But being young is all about learning from your mistakes, and Jackson definitely has.

"It taught me that you're more than OK to have friends with the opposite sex and cheating's bad — I haven't ever cheated since," he said.

"It showed me that cheating on someone is just as bad as getting cheated on, 'cause they were both quite heartbreaking."

READ MORE: Meet the brides and grooms of MAFS 2022

Jackson's past changed his outlook going into new relationships.

"I knew what I didn't want," he said. "I knew what I didn't want to become and I knew that you have to trust somebody in a relationship for it to work, otherwise it's just gonna end up causing a rift between the two of you."

And that's something he's taking into his MAFS experience.

"Whoever I get paired with will have my 100 per cent trust until it gets broken," he said.

Married At First Sight returns on Monday January 31, 2022 at 7.30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now. Catch up on 9Now.