The Daily mail’s showbiz reporter Ali Daher speaks to B&T about how he gets those MAFS scoops, his relationship with Nine, and the one contestant this year that he couldn’t crack.
(Lead Image: Ali Daher Instagram)
Anyone who watches Nine’s juggernaut Married At First Sight will know that the real place to catch all of the gossip is the Daily Mail’s sidebar of shame.
It was the Mail who first warned us of Sara’s upcoming cheating scandal. The Mail who broke our hearts with pictures of Timothy and Lucinda arriving at the reunion separately. The Mail who, last year, was the first to reveal images of Dan Hunjas frolicking in the GC with his large-chested wedding guest (at a time he was still considered to be ‘married’ to Sandy Jawanda).
So just how does the Mail get all of its goss? Meet Ali Daher, the Daily Mail’s esteemed showbiz reporter. Daher is sort of like Gretchen Wieners from Mean Girls, put simply he “knows everything about everyone” – well anyone worth knowing.
Not only has he rubbed shoulders with the likes of Britney Spears, Harry Styles and Taylor Swift, he’s sort of a bonafide celeb in how own right with 50,000 Instagram followers watching his every move.
So just how does he get all those MAFS scoops and why haven’t Nine killed him off yet?
“It takes a lot of time, and a lot of effort,” Daher reveals.
“It starts with hiding in the bushes,” he says, laughing. “Being there at the bucks and hens, then crashing the wedding and then the dinner parties”.
“By the end of it we’ve developed great relationships and they’re like ‘hang on, you’re not the evil person’ they [Nine] warned us about”.
The relationships are so good that some contestants even ask him for advice.
“This year’s cast was quite rogue, they were telling me stuff they shouldn’t be telling me. Some cast members would call me right after the dinner party and brief me on what happened and ask for advice about things”.
Not everyone is open, however. There was one contestant this year that Daher has struggled to crack.
“[Cassandra] was just the one person who wanted nothing,” he says. “She wanted to follow the rules every time and just ran away. I couldn’t even say hello. Her partner Tristan was always very protective of her and saying ‘no, no, she’s not comfortable. No comment’”.
Despite his penchant for dropping scoops, Daher makes it clear that it is not his intention to ruin the plotline.
For example, in the case of the pictures of Jonno and Ellie (the bride and groom who weren’t married but were spotted together at the beach), he reveals he had them photos months ago but held onto them.
“I’m not going to be the person to spoil it. I take those photos and happily hold on to them until it plays out on TV, or it’s about to play out on TV. It’s my plan to drop but I’m not going to be one to ruin the storyline”.
Whilst Nine does warn the cast about Daher (which is arguably a compliment) his relationship with the network isn’t completely unamicable he says.
“’I’ve been able to prove that it’s better to have me as your friend, rather than your enemy. I think that’s me personally, I can’t speak on behalf of the company”.
And when it comes to getting the stories, Daher clarifies that his friendships with the cast are far from transactional.
“My relationship and friendships don’t end when the season ends. I still am friends with people from five or six seasons ago”.
Daher also revealed the best celebrities he’s met over the years – “Harry Styles is probably one of my favourites these days”.
He’s frequently told people that Taylor Swift is the “nicest” celeb he has ever met, however, he now describes her as “untouchable” given the “presidential level of security”.
