MAFS Australia: Stella and Filip break up, in hindsight these signals were already there

If you had asked me a few weeks ago which couple from MAFS Australia 2026 would absolutely make it, I wouldn't have had to think for a second: of course Stella and Filip. I found, and still find, them genuinely so nice together. From being in love to engaged, and after the experiment, they seemed really serious about a future together. And then suddenly the news came that Stella Mickunaite and Filip Gregov have broken up. We really didn't see that coming.

But now that the initial shock has somewhat subsided and more is coming to light about the period before their breakup, the picture might look different. Because in hindsight, there were indeed some signals that not everything was as carefree as it seemed. From the discussion about Sydney and Melbourne to Stella's future plans and a rather striking interview just before their breakup.

Okay, did we all watch them through our rose-colored MAFS Australia 2026-glasses?

Stella and Filip seemed to be the success story of MAFS Australia

This makes their breakup perhaps so surprising. Stella and Filip were among the strongest couples of MAFS Australia 2026 from the start. No endless arguments, no partner swaps, and no Final Vows where someone dramatically walked away. Quite the opposite.

During the Final Vows, Filip even got down on one knee and proposed to Stella. They left the experiment in love and engaged and later talked about plans for a real wedding in Croatia. Even after MAFS, they stayed together and seriously continued their relationship.

While one MAFS marriage after another fell apart, Stella and Filip were the couple we thought: see, sometimes it really works.

Signal 1: Sydney or Melbourne was already a thing during MAFS Australia

Anyone who paid attention during MAFS Australia knows that there was one topic where Stella and Filip didn't quite see eye to eye during the experiment: where they would live together.

Filip had his life in Melbourne. His work, family, and friends were there, while Stella lived in Sydney and had her own business there. During MAFS, it seemed that Filip was willing to move his life to Sydney to give their relationship a real chance.

But here comes an important new twist to the story. Stella has said after the breakup that it was actually she who ultimately planned to move to Melbourne. She was therefore willing to leave her life in Sydney behind to move forward with Filip.

Ouch, that makes it painful. The discussion about Sydney or Melbourne was indeed there, but it seemed to have been resolved. Stella thought they were working together on the next step.

Signal 2: Stella was very clear about her future plans

That Stella knows what she wants was evident during MAFS Australia. But even after the program, she spoke openly about her future, especially about her desire to have children.

A few weeks before the news of their breakup, Stella mentioned in an interview that she and Filip had discussed freezing her eggs. She had even set a clear deadline for herself: if she wasn't pregnant within twelve months, she wanted to freeze her eggs to secure her future options.

On its own, of course, nothing strange about that. But in her emotional message after the breakup, Stella writes that this relationship has changed how she views her ongoing need to move forward, gain clarity, and know what the future holds.

She always thought that her directness, her need to know things, and her drive to move forward stemmed mainly from ambition. Now she sees that sometimes there was also fear behind it. Fear of uncertainty, of falling behind, and of possibly missing out on the future she envisioned for herself.

Signal 3: just before the breakup, Stella suddenly didn't want to talk about Filip anymore

And then there's another interview that suddenly becomes a lot more interesting in hindsight. Just a few weeks before it became known that Stella and Filip had broken up, Stella spoke with Woman’s Day Australia.

She still talked about conversations with Filip regarding her desire to have children. But when the conversation specifically turned to their relationship, Stella asked to put questions about it on hold. That says everything, doesn't it?

At that moment, she still sounded positive. She said she had certain things to share and even called them exciting. With what we know now, that moment takes on a different meaning.

Signal 4: Stella and Filip were seen together less and less

Even on social media, something started to change. Stella and Filip were seen together less often, and their last joint photos date back to May, according to Australian media.

Eventually, observant MAFS fans noticed that Stella and Filip weren't even following each other on Instagram anymore.

Not long after, Stella's long and particularly candid message appeared in which she reflected on a painful period and the lessons she took from her relationship.

But Stella now says she didn't see the breakup coming at all

Okay, now I'm a bit confused. Because sources around Stella and Filip had previously painted a picture of a relationship that was slowly falling apart, but Stella now says she was completely taken by surprise by Filip's decision.

According to Stella, Filip ended their engagement over the phone. Sorry? By phone? For her, that came completely unexpectedly. She didn't think they were slowly heading towards a breakup. On the contrary: she was actually focused on their shared future and claimed to be planning to move to Melbourne.

Did money play a role in the breakup of Stella and Filip?

Money is also mentioned in Australian media as a possible point of tension within the relationship. According to an insider, money was not the only reason for the breakup, but Stella and Filip may have had different views on finances, ambition, and the lifestyle they envisioned for the future.

But we need to be cautious here as well. Stella and Filip themselves have not said that money was the reason for their breakup. The story comes from an anonymous source and is therefore not a confirmed fact.

What does come directly from Stella is her reflection on her ambition. In her message after the breakup, she writes that she has always seen her directness, drive, and need to keep moving forward as strong qualities. This relationship has shown her that sometimes there was fear behind that.

This is what Stella herself says about what went wrong

Stella has a simple answer to that. She also doesn't fully understand why their relationship ultimately fell apart. Fortunately, she does look critically at her own share. Just as we know Stella during her participation in MAFS.

She writes about her fear and insecurity, of falling behind and of missing out on the future she dreams of. According to Stella, that fear can manifest itself in extreme ambition and drive.

But she realizes now that good intentions can sometimes be perceived very differently by the person opposite you. What felt to her like love and building a future could apparently be experienced by Filip as a huge pressure on the future.

By the way, Stella is not saying that this is the reason for his departure. She says: this is why Filip left me. We cannot draw that conclusion for her. But it does say a lot about how she now reflects on their relationship.

Filip ended their relationship over the phone

That Filip was the one who ended the relationship was already reported by sources earlier. Stella has now shared more about it herself: Filip allegedly ended their relationship and engagement over the phone. Stella says she was completely taken by surprise by his decision.

That makes her earlier words about the breakup perhaps more understandable. Stella wrote that life sometimes tries to teach you something gently, but that sometimes a lesson comes that hits heartbreakingly hard. And this one, she wrote, hit very hard.

Stella stands up for Filip after the breakup

Stella has now also responded to all the negative reactions that Filip received after the news of their breakup. And she is remarkably clear about it. She asks people to stop choosing sides and emphasizes that their breakup does not make either of them a villain.

Although Stella again confirms that the decision came as a surprise to her, she does not want Filip to be portrayed as the big bad guy. She writes that she genuinely loved him and thought she would spend her life with him. The fact that there is now so much hate directed at Filip, she calls heartbreaking.

According to Stella, they are both hurting and are both trying to find their way in an incredibly difficult period. Her message to MAFS fans is actually very simple: stop picking sides and be a little kind to both.

Were those signals really there in hindsight?

Well, that discussion about Sydney and Melbourne. Her very clear future plans. An interview in which she suddenly didn't want to talk about her relationship. They appeared together less and less on social media.

But at the same time, Stella was also trying to adapt her life to Filip. She wanted to move to Melbourne, talked to him about children, and thought they were moving forward together. If she didn't see the breakup coming herself, it's hard for us to claim that we had seen it happen from the couch, of course.

All in all, I really think it's mega sad that they didn't make it.