A devastating breakup for both of them. Married at First Sight viewers were stunned to learn during the Tuesday, March 8, season 3 reunion that Tres Russell and Vanessa Nelson, widely considered the season’s strongest couple, were no longer together. Tres tells Us Weekly exclusively why he decided to end things — and why he says “only time will tell” whether they eventually get back together.

Tres, 27, and Vanessa, 26, had instant chemistry and seemed headed for a lifetime of marital bliss after they both opted to stay married during the March 1 finale. But when they reconvened six months later for the reunion, the pair’s marriage was off.

Tres tells Us that he was “100 percent sure” on Decision Day that he wanted to stay married to his wife, and while he had concerns about their relationship, he was optimistic that their bond would grow after more time spent getting to know each other.

“Unfortunately, over time, my feelings began to fade,” he reveals. “I stayed committed to the marriage and us trying to make it work. We tried counseling, and I was talking to either one of the experts, the producers, my family, her mom or someone that could lend us assistance, pretty much every day.”

Tres says that it was clear to him two months after Decision Day that “my feelings were not coming back, no matter what I tried to do. After a heated exchange in which some hurtful things were said and done, I realized it was best for me to grab my stuff and leave, so it didn’t escalate into something more.”

Tres says he should have told Vanessa sooner that his feelings had changed, but he instead continued to go on dates with her in the hopes that he would feel the way he once had. He also implied that he stopped having sex with Vanessa before their split, and now admits that he should have spoken to her about this.

“I stopped being intimate with my wife — my biggest regret is that I didn’t explain to her why,” Tres says. “I stopped out of respect for her. Vanessa is one of the most stunning and sexy women that I have ever seen. It was never about physical attraction. I stopped because I knew that her heart and feelings were there for me, and mine were no longer there…. I shouldn’t have hidden the fact that my feelings had faded.”

Tres calls ending their relationship “extremely painful” and points out that the pair finally met up for dinner about two weeks ago. He says they were able to get a “good understanding” of each other’s feelings and even met up again a few days later so Vanessa could help Tres work on his résumé. But the situation soon got complicated.

“Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse,” he reveals. “I wanted to meet to work on building a friendship together, and she thought that we were meeting to work on our marriage. When she found out my intentions, she decided it was best for us not to speak anymore. I respect her wishes, and I wish her nothing but the best.”

Tres tells Us his dating life “is completely nonexistent right now,” and he doesn’t completely write off the possibility of some day rekindling his romance with Vanessa. “Only time will tell” whether sparks will fly between them again, he says.

“She is gorgeous, and I know she has a line of guys waiting around the corner, and rightfully so!” Tres adds. “I hate that things ended the way that they did, but in the end, I followed my heart and made the best decision for me. We will both find the one that we are destined to be with one day.”

Married at First Sight, produced by Kinetic Content, airs on FYI on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST.

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