EXCLUSIVE: First look at Married At First Sight 2024's same-sex couple - after Channel Nine was forced to find 'replacement' groom

Married At First Sight 2024 will feature a same-sex couple after a groom 'derailed' the show's plans and fled the country, leaving his partner without a match. Married At First Sight 2024 will feature a same-sex couple after a groom 'derailed' the show's plans and fled the country, leaving his partner without a match Daily Mail Australia can reveal producers have now found Mike Felix an alternate partner, after weeks of 'hell' Despite the bumpy start, insiders reveal that the mood on the set is upbeat and hopeful that this last-minute backflip could turn out to be a blessing in disguise, making this season one for the history books. One spy tells Daily Mail Australia that show runners were worried about the potential backlash if they didn't include a same-sex pair after initial reports revealed that a gay pair would appear on the show. Despite reports the gay storyline will be scrapped, Mike will be entering the show as an intruder alongside two other couples The pair are understood to have secretly married in front of family and friends without any of the cast attending their wedding One spy tells Daily Mail Australia that show runners were worried about the potential backlash if they didn't include a same-sex pair after initial reports revealed that a gay pair would appear on the show His partner is yet to be identified. It comes after his original partner, Simon Flocco, an Adelaide-based restaurant manager, almost 'ruined' the show's plans to highlight a same-sex couple during their year of 'diversity' at the eleventh hour before his nuptials Breaking his silence, Simon told Daily Mail Australia: 'MAFS wasn't what I thought I wanted at this point in my life, that's all' Runway groom flees to Europe: After quitting the Channel Nine show, Simon immediately booked a trip to Europe, where he has been since late July.