‘Married At First Sight’ Star Neil Bowlus Opens Up About Split From Sam Role, Dating After Divorce

It’s been a few weeks since FYI’s “Married At First Sight” aired its Season 3 finale, in which Neil Bowlus asked his wife Sam Role for a divorce even though she wanted to stay together. Neil’s decision obviously left Sam heartbroken, but in the reunion special it was revealed that they were in communication and had remained friends.

Speaking to Us Weekly, Neil admitted there are things he would have done differently if he could go back and redo the experiment.

“I felt I was missing the ability to create a deeper, more intimate relationship,” he explained. “The first four weeks left an impression greater than I was aware of, and it prevented me from building anything more than friendship.”

As recapped, Sam and Neil butted heads at the beginning of the experiment, but as the season progressed they grew closer. Unfortunately, Neil just couldn’t move past some of their immediate hiccups.

“Nobody is at fault,” Neil told the magazine. “It’s just the way things happened. We learn, grow and move on.”

The 31-year-old compliance specialist said if he had the opportunity to do it all over again he would “speak up earlier” and be “more specific when things were going bad.” Neil also talked about his dating life, telling Us Weekly that it’s “nonexistent.” He is willing to get married again, though.

“This experience has given me more tools to be a better husband,” he told New York Post in an interview earlier this month. “I look forward to the day I can put them to use.”

Sam, 30, also told the outlet that she definitely sees herself walking down the aisle again. “Now I know why my past relationships didn’t last,” she said. “Thank goodness for this life-changing experiment, because I think that if I hadn’t listened and recognized the errors in my ways, I would’ve ended up alone for the rest of my life.”