Stella and Filip are the benchmark for Married At First Sight golden couples with the lovebirds finally admitting to “falling in love” with each other.

So when Stella started crying over her relationship at the Retreat, everyone was totally dumbfounded … until they learned the truth.

Stella and Filip have the perfect marriage, what could be causing all the tears? (Nine)
“Falling in love, when it’s the right person and when you’re ready, isn’t hard. What comes after, that’s becoming hard,” Stella began to explain at a Girls’ Night dinner.

It was then that Stella broke down.

“I am looking at Filip like I want him to be my forever person but it’s much deeper than that. Now I’m dealing with fear of abandonment,” the 32-year-old explained.

“My parents had me extremely young. My dad then left to live in the UK. My role models and the people who raised me were my grandmother and my aunty.

“Growing up in Lithuania shaped me to be quite independent even though I’m craving connection.”
Stella said growing up in Lithuania taught her to be independent at a young age. (Nine)

After they exchanged ‘I love yous’ Stella wanted distance from Filip but knew it was just a “self-preservation” reflex.

“It’s a coping mechanism for me to stay in a protective mode of not getting hurt if people decide to leave,” Stella told cameras.

“That’s, I guess, my trauma response.”