It's all fun and games until you're face to face with a guy you called "a tiny man".
That's exactly what happened to me this morning, interviewing the couple of Sunday night's shock Married At First Sight NZ split: Dom and Claire.
While mic'ing Claire up for her interview, I could hear the moment Dom, behind me, clicked I was the one behind the words he said caused him "much emotional distress".
It led to a passive aggressive Post-it note and me putting my hand over my face for a long, long time. He was referring, in particular, to my MAFS NZ recap headlined: "It's not over until the tiny man cries a lot".
Dom had much to say on the subject, including informing me he was actually 5'6".
"You are not," Claire cut in. "You're 5'4" because that's what I am."
The pair bicker and tease like an old married couple, which is funny, given their admissions over their short marriage in today's interview.
"Dom and I decided about four days in that we were better off as just friends," Claire said today.
"We slept in separate beds - even in the honeymoon."
When I expressed my distress as they had seemed so sunny on their Bay of Islands getaway, I got a telling off.
"That's TV land you know Sarah, come on!" Claire said. "I had more hopes than you honey."
Dom was a touch more chipper about the way things came across on television - once he stopped asking me if I wanted the camera shot "enlarged" to see his tiny frame.
"I've watched them all... I'm happy with the way I've come across," he said.
"I'm pleased with it all really and my children haven't disowned me and I still have one or two friends! Don't have a wife any more unfortunately but, you know, what can you do?"
I wanted to talk about those tears further, because he did cry A LOT.
"I'm sure like everyone else I really bought into the show from an emotional perspective," he explained.
"I'm an emotional chap... I just felt this emotional bond with everyone. I got really invested.
"When I do something I really go for it hammer and tong, and I don't regret it."
When I asked if he was going to be pursuing love after the show, Dom told me firmly he had already started.
"I'm nearly 60 and the Grim Reaper is waving his scythe 'round me and I don't have much time left."
Though that doesn't mean he'll be trying to download Tinder or Bumble onto his Nokia 3200.
"What is it? Bummer?" he asked.
"Bumble," I corrected.
"Oh like bee. Got it. I've never heard of it. And Tinder is just sex and I'm not into that - I want a proper relationship."
Claire is also happy with her current situation. She said she's "just loving life" back at home.
"I'm back to spending time with my kids, my family, back to work which I love. I couldn't have done the show if I wasn't in such a great place - if I wasn't really happy."
As for that text that was the nail in the coffin for the marriage?
"It was horrible and I've relived it about 450 times... I'm kind of sick it now," Dom said.
"I've done my remorse and I've made my apologies. I feel I've atoned my crimes, I really do."
As we said goodbye I made my own apologies and atoned for my own crimes. And I think I'm just about forgiven.
Newshub.
