Bachelor in Paradise’s Matt Whyatt DENIES cheating on ex Renee Barrett – but admits he ‘sucks at relationships’ and could have handled the break-up better
Bachelor in Paradise’s Matt Whyatt has strongly denied cheating on his ex-girlfriend Renee Barrett, saying he may ‘suck at relationships’ but he didn’t betray her trust.
In a lengthy Instagram post on Monday, the 28-year-old professional BMX rider insisted that he did not start dating single mother Cheyenne O’Leary – whom he has now since split from – until after he’d ended things with Renee in late December.
He added that he meant every word he said to Renee, 26, on Paradise and dismissed the people accusing him of infidelity as fame-hungry wannabes.
Setting the record straight: Bachelor in Paradise’s Matt Whyatt has denied cheating on his ex-girlfriend Renee Barrett, saying he may ‘suck at relationships’ but he didn’t betray her trust
‘This guy you seen on your TV is 100 per cent me. I can’t believe I’m having to defend myself against some clickbait media and people wanting their five minutes of fame, because we finished a show and we are their free ride to self promotion,’ Matt said.
‘I did not cheat on anyone… We actually ended things on mutual terms and were happy for each other’s future. This still stands to this day. Me and Renee are friends and happy for each other, so please stop believing everything you read or hear.’
He continued: ‘I did not kiss, sleep with or have any relationship with anyone while I was still with Renee or while I’ve been with any other girl for that matter.
Clarification: In a lengthy Instagram post on Monday, the 28-year-old professional BMX rider insisted that he did not start dating single mother Cheyenne O’Leary – whom he has now since split from – until after he’d ended things with Renee (pictured) in late December
‘I am the genuine guy you saw on your TV screen. My friends and family know that and I am strong enough to stand my ground and know who I am as a person and that is not a cheater.
‘Relationships in the real world after these shows have so much pressure and it’s not easy, but it doesn’t mean I don’t deserve respect of a little bit of privacy.’
Matt concluded: ‘These nasty comments are breaking me into a million pieces knowing I haven’t cheated. Maybe I suck at relationships but I’m not a cheater and I deserve to be allowed to find love.’
It comes after Renee revealed on the So Dramatic! podcast on Sunday that Matt had brutally dumped her via text message in late December – just weeks after they left Fiji as a couple to pursue a long-distance relationship.
‘Yeah, it wasn’t great,’ the Darwin-based healthcare coordinator said of the devastating text. ‘But at the end of the day, I’ve had worse. God, I was with Ciarran [Stott]!’
Renee claimed that Matt, who lives on the Gold Coast, had planned to celebrate New Year’s Eve with her in Darwin – but instead dumped her just days before he was meant to fly out.
She also alleged that within a week of dumping her, Matt had already moved on with single mother Cheyenne O’Leary.
Cheyenne happens to be the ex-girlfriend of Married At First Sight star Rhyce Power.
Matt apparently pulled a similar move when he split from Cheyenne and began dating his current girlfriend, Love Island star Kim Hartnett.
Despite the brutal way things ended, Renee conceded that her long-distance relationship with Matt likely wouldn’t have worked out anyway.
‘It’s fine. I completely understand because he is definitely somebody that needs somebody with him at all times,’ she said.
‘And at that moment I was not prepared to leave my job [in Darwin], which I love, and move for somebody that I still wasn’t too sure about,’ added Renee.