An emotional David Campbell has compared the toothbrush scandal on Married At First Sight to recent high-profile cases of violence against women.
During a panel discussion on Today Extra on Thursday, David said he was ‘really angry’ about what had happened on MAFS the previous night.
At the dinner party, it was revealed that David Cannon had contaminated his ‘wife’ Hayley Vernon’s toothbrush with faeces after discovering she had cheated on him.
Having his say: An emotional David Campbell (left) has compared the toothbrush scandal on Married At First Sight to recent high-profile cases of violence against women
While David acknowledged the incident had taken place months ago, he said it was disturbing that it should come to light at a time when violence against women is dominating the national conversation.
‘It’s not a joke,’ he began. ‘There’s a lot of things we can [say] about Married At First Sight, it’s a contentious show. We love watching it, we love hate-watching it.
‘But when something like this [happens], it makes us all look at each other.
‘It made me really angry… in this week that we’ve had, where we’ve seen some horrible things with domestic violence and [violence] against women, and anger and animosity out there, this sort of stuff.’
‘I’m sure it was recorded months ago – we all know that, that’s how television works – but to see it and see somebody defend that just feels, as a man in 2020, it just feels reprehensible.’
‘It’s not a joke’: While David acknowledged the incident had taken place months ago, he said it was disturbing that it should come to light at a time when violence against women is dominating the national conversation
Domestic violence has been a talking point in Australia this month after Rowan Baxter murdered his estranged wife, Hannah Clarke, and three children on February 19 in Camp Hill, Brisbane.
They were torched in their car on the morning school run, before Baxter stabbed himself to death at the scene.
It later emerged the shocking act of violence was the culmination of a years-long campaign of harassment and abuse.
Pure evil: Domestic violence has been a talking point in Australia this month after Rowan Baxter murdered his estranged wife, Hannah Clarke, and three children on February 19 in Camp Hill, Brisbane (all pictured)
Meanwhile, Married At First Sight viewers have slammed producers for allowing the toothbrush incident to take place during filming.
Some have even vowed to boycott Channel Nine’s popular reality show, saying that David’s actions were ‘abusive’.
‘I’m actually disgusted with the production team and how this toothbrush scenario was handled. It’s a new low for reality television,’ one person wrote on Facebook.
‘The toothbrush incident is a whole new low. Just disgusting, [David] should have been instantly booted off the show,’ another added.
David’s vile act of revenge was exposed at Wednesday night’s dinner party.
He had scrubbed faeces off a toilet with Hayley’s toothbrush before returning it to its holder after discovering she had kissed another groom, Michael Goonan.
Hayley used the toothbrush for five days before being told that footage of David contaminating it was being circulated among cast members.
Vile: At Wednesday night’s dinner party, it was revealed that David Cannon had contaminated his ‘wife’ Hayley Vernon’s toothbrush with faeces after discovering she had cheated on him
Rock bottom? Hayley (pictured) used the toothbrush for five days before being told that footage of David contaminating it was being circulated among cast members
The incident was so repulsive that it left the show’s relationship experts dry-heaving in horror as they watched it play out in front of their eyes.
‘I can’t let David get away with what he’s done,’ Hayley said, before throwing the toothbrush across the table and yelling: ‘What about the fact that David rubbed my toothbrush in a toilet!’
‘You put the toothbrush in a toilet and you filmed it! Somebody at this table has sent it to me, let me get my phone,’ she said, before storming off to retrieve the footage.
‘That is disgusting’: The incident was so repulsive that it left the show’s relationship experts dry-heaving in horror. Pictured (left to right): Mel Schilling, Dr Trisha Stratford and John Aiken
Hayley returned to the table with her phone and played the footage for the table, which left the relationship experts visibly repulsed.
‘That is disgusting,’ Mel Schilling said as she gagged. ‘That could make her very sick.’
‘I don’t know if we’ve seen a dinner party unravel to this level before,’ John Aiken added, looking defeated.
Inexcusable: After exposing her ‘husband’, Hayley returned to the table with her phone and played the shocking footage for the table
‘What David has done here is inexcusable,’ Mel said. ‘I don’t think we’ve ever seen behaviour like this in the whole history of the experiment.’
‘Psychologically, we know revenge can be strong,’ John explained.
‘This type of overwhelming emotion comes from a place of hurt. But you just can’t express that type of anger in that way to others. Frankly, it’s just not acceptable. It’s personal, it’s brutal.’
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Breaking point: Hayley eventually broke down at the dinner table, sobbing that the entire ordeal was ‘so embarrassing’ for her. Pictured with Steve Burley (left)