'I'm heartbroken and devastated.' MAFS expert Dr Trisha Stratford has passed away.

Married At First Sight Australia relationship expert Dr Trisha Stratford has passed away. She was 72.

Channel Nine announced the news on Monday, saying: "We are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Dr Trisha Stratford.

"Our sincerest condolences and heartfelt sympathies go out to her family and those closest during this difficult time."

Her former TV colleague John Aiken shared his own tribute.

"I'm heartbroken and devastated that my friend and dear colleague Trisha has passed away," he captioned an Instagram post. 

"We shared an amazing seven seasons of @MAFS together. She loved everything New Zealand, relationships, the All Blacks, the Black Caps, French wine and travelling the world. I’ll miss you, Tish. 

"Thank you for all the memories."

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A post shared by John Aiken (@johnaikenlive)

Dr Trisha Stratford was a key part of Married At First Sight since the day it aired. 

As the resident neuropsychotherapist, Dr Trisha paired up a number of couples over seven seasons of the show alongside her fellow 'relationship experts' John Aiken and Mel Schilling. 

While the success rate of these pairings is abysmally low, there have been a handful of couples that have gone on to get real married and even have kids. 

Dr Trisha had always been supportive of the show and championed its successes, which was why it came as a big surprise when she stepped back and announced she was leaving last year.

In a statement at the time, Dr Trisha shared, "After seven seasons of Married At First Sight I have decided to step back from the television series to focus on my writing, research and neuropsychotherapy."

"I’ve been involved right from the beginning in the challenge of bringing this social experiment to television. The program provides a platform for an ongoing conversation on relationships and I wish the program continued success and hope future participants find everlasting love," she added. 

Feature image: Facebook.