Exclusive: Sandy reveals why she was so shocked by Dan's confession that he wasn't 'sexually attracted' to her
At one stage, Sandy and Dan had been in one of the most smooth-sailing relationships in Season 10 of Married at First Sight.
But cracks quickly began to show during the third Commitment Ceremony, when Dan made the surprising revelation that he didn't feel sexually attracted to his wife.
In an exclusive interview with 9Entertainment, Sandy explained that she was in disbelief over hearing her husband's words on the couch – especially after the couple had shared some sweet moments together behind closed doors.
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"If someone is kissing you and giving you cuddles, you're going to think that person is attracted to you – I didn't think that was an issue" she said.
"I know it may have looked like there was a lack of [sexual] chemistry there, but a lot of that is my inability to show public displays of affection (PDA)."
Sandy has spoken out about her relationship with Dan in an exclusive interview. Nine
Sandy went on to say that PDA was never something she'd been used to in her life.
"I was very open with Dan about this from the start, explaining that I'm just like anyone else – I love affection, but I also have cultural sensitivities," she said. "I obviously didn't want him to feel rejected."
She added: "I've never seen my parents kiss, so when you grow up in that environment those sorts of physically intimate things don't feel natural in a public setting without it feeling forced."
EPISODE 18 RECAP: The divide between Sandy and Dan grows as Friends and Family Week arrives
During the third Commitment Ceremony, Sandy told the experts her insecurities in the relationship, voicing that she felt neglected by her partner.
"Sometimes I just feel like I'm not there," she admitted on the couch. "Like, you don't want to spend time with me."
Surprisingly, the pair had sex the following morning.
"Obviously when it came to sex that was a boundary I only wanted to cross when I knew it was the real deal," Sandy added during her interview.
Sandy said she felt shocked with Dan's revelation. Nine
Sandy said she expected intimacy to make things better between the couple.
But as Friends and Family Week came around, it became clear that the couples' relationship had more cracks than expected.
"When my sister came to visit, she already thought something was up," Sandy said.
"She literally said, 'I can barely recognise you, you're like a shell of yourself.'"
READ MORE: The biggest moments from Friends and Family Week on MAFS 2023
During the visit, Sandy told her sister that she had been intimate with Dan before feeling like he'd given her the cold shoulder.
"I kind of feel like he is making Sandy feel like she's not good enough," her sister confessed at the time.
"He's coming up with lame excuses as to why she might not fit in to his lifestyle."
"He's coming up with lame excuses as to why she might not fit in to his lifestyle," Sandy's sister said during Friends and Family Week. Nine
Being her first formal relationship, Sandy naturally had some reservations but really wanted to give it her all.
"I've never had a serious relationship before," she said. "I felt like I was doing all the work and I just got to the point where I was asking Dan, 'What do you need in this relationship for it to progress?'"
READ MORE: The steamiest moments from Intimacy Week on MAFS 2023
"I kept telling myself, 'This must be what relationships are like, and that the experts have put me here for a reason.'"
"I felt the need to make it work, I kept telling myself this must be what relationships are like and that the experts have put me here for a reason," Sandy added. Nine
Sandy expressed her exhaustion at looking at the bright side when she was feeling so rejected.
"Even though he's had two failed marriages, I told myself, 'Don't look at that as a negative, think, he's got life experience'.
"I thought 'He's got a daughter?', that must means he's going to understand a woman's emotions," she said.
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"I was getting tired of trying."
When it came to what she thought of Dan on their wedding day, Sandy added: "It's not like I walked down the aisle and thought, 'Oh my God, Dan is the best looking guy I've ever seen'.
Sandy and Dan are pictured on their wedding day. Nine
"It was a slow burn, but in my mind it was not about the superficial – it was about getting to know the person and going from there."
Only time will tell whether Sandy and Dan can pull things back and make it work in the experiment.
Married At First Sight continues Monday to Wednesday at 7.30pm and Sunday at 7.00pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
