Friend breaks the silence about Rafaela's absence in the grand finale: "She didn't do very well"

The final Married at First Sight group dinner was a hot topic. Rafaela Resende , 31, was one of the main focuses of the evening, after allegations about an alleged involvement with another man were exposed in front of everyone, including the experts, Cris Carvalho and Eduardo Torgal , and the presenter Diana Chaves.

The young woman even saw Hugo Oliveira, Nelson, and Carla Batista give their opinions on Carlos Castanheira 's revelations, something that made the contestant visibly uncomfortable. The accusations were based on rumors that the contestant had been with another man in the apartment she shared with her then-husband. The possibility of a connection to former contestant João Ricardo was also suggested. Carlos even ended up leaving the dinner with Rafaela.

Since then, the makeup artist from Setúbal has stepped away from the show. She "tries to forget" what she experienced on the show and didn't even attend the grand finale, leaving her ex-partner alone at the couples' final reunion, as reported by TV7 Dias. Although her absence was never officially explained, sources close to her were already certain that Rafaela wouldn't be part of the finale.

Raquel Mendes, a former contestant on the show and a close friend of Rafaela's, spoke openly about the impact it all had on her colleague. "She wasn't very happy with all these comments surrounding her. It hasn't been easy for her. I feel sorry for her," she said, continuing: "People were pointing the finger at her, and it ended up being said who started those rumors: her own husband, unfortunately, right? I heard them too. I was very sorry Rafaela wasn't there that Sunday to continue that conversation..."

The former contestant also claims she was one of the few who tried to protect Rafaela during the confrontation. "I was the only person at that table who defended her," she emphasized.

Text by Tiago Miguel Simões; Photos: DR