Former Married At First Sight Australia expert and clinical neuropsychotherapist Dr Trisha Stratford has died at the age of 72.
Stratford joined the show in 2015 and was an expert on the series for seven seasons. She was born in Wellington and spent much of her career working between Australia and New Zealand.
"We are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Dr Trisha Stratford," Channel 9 said in a statement.
"Our sincerest condolences and heartfelt sympathies go out to her family and those closest during this difficult time."
Relationship expert John Aiken, who also appeared on the show with her, said that he was "heartbroken and devastated" in an Instagram post.
"We shared an amazing seven seasons of @MAFS together. She loved everything New Zealand, relationships, the All Blacks, the Black Caps, French wine and travelling the world. I’ll miss you Tish. Thankyou for all the memories (sic)."
Stratford joined the show in its inaugural season before stepping back ahead of the eighth season in 2020.
"I have decided to step back from the television series to focus on my writing, research and neuropsychotherapy," she said in a statement at the time.
However, an interview with Women's Day NZ in 2021 revealed that part of the reason she left was due to producer's ignoring her advice regarding the psychological state of participants prior to filming.
"By the end, I couldn’t compromise my professional and personal standards because there were participants on the show who I felt shouldn’t have been there," she told the magazine.
"Then it got supersized. The participants we got in seasons six and seven were so outrageous and outside the norm that it wasn’t what I signed up for."
No cause of death has been revealed.
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