Married at First Sight star Derek Sherman has explained how he was so patient while married to Katie Conrad, who was criticized on Season 10 of the Lifetime reality series for picking fights with Derek and being overly judgmental.

ADVERTISEMENT

During a recent appearance on Married at First Sight alums Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner's Hot Marriage Cool Parents podcast, Derek opened up about how he managed to keep his cool with Katie during the most trying times of their marriage.

RELATED: 'MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT' COUPLES NOW: WHAT COUPLES ARE STILL TOGETHER? WHO BROKE UP? (PHOTOS)

When asked how in the world he was so patient with Katie, Derek responded, "Practice."

"Practice is how I've gotten to where I am today. I'll go ahead and say that I've been through my own fair share of stuff, to say the least, throughout my whole life," Derek explained.

"And at the end of the day, I suppose it's the fact that I try to live life by The Golden Rule: Treat others how you expect to be treated. It's more or less my mantra."

"So yeah," Derek added. "I just try to treat others how I'd want to be treated."

Although Derek and Katie opted to stay married on "Decision Day" at the end of Married at First Sight's eight-week experiment, the couple revealed they had split during the reunion special, which aired in late April on Lifetime.

During the reunion, Derek vented about how Katie had allegedly cheated on him twice with her ex-boyfriend -- the same ex who had tried to reconcile with her before she walked down the aisle -- once after their honeymoon, and then again about two weeks after "Decision Day."

While Derek acknowledged he was patient with Katie, he doesn't claim to be perfect.

"When I was a kid, I had a hot temper. I had a little bit of anger-management issues and, you know, would get into little fights here and there," Derek admitted.

RELATED LINK: 'MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT' STAR MICHAEL SEEKING ANNULMENT FROM MEKA CLAIMING SHOW DEFRAUDED HIM INTO MARRIAGE (EXCLUSIVE)

"I would just be a rebellious little punk, but over time, I learned how to [control] it and always be mindful. Don't just react right away, and if you feel like you're getting there, just walk away for a second."

"I mean, there's definitely times you get heated and just say something, but don't let that be the norm," he said.

Prior to "Decision Day," Derek and Katie weathered a lot of ups and downs.

Katie spent a lot of the Married at First Sight season complaining about Derek's boy-like personality and "unrealistic" dreams.

She admittedly started fights with Derek to get attention from him and test his feelings for her, and Katie accused Derek of never initiating physical intimacy.

Although Derek also made some mistakes in their relationship, he was shown being attentive to Katie and caring about her needs.

Derek never seemed to give up on the potential they had until Katie confessed to sleeping with her ex after "Decision Day" and dumped Derek.

"I suppose overall, I believe I emotionally matured a lot throughout this entire process, just being thrown in this whole different situation," Derek explained on the podcast.

RELATED LINK: 'MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT' STAR BRANDON CLAIMS TAYLOR COMMITTED ADULTERY DURING MARRIAGE, ONLY DID SHOW FOR PUBLICITY (EXCLUSIVE)

"I've always been a person that has thrown myself out of my comfort zone so I can really learn from it, but some things I learned from this is sometimes patience is key. Sometimes you just need to be upfront and if it causes a confrontation, then just have a confrontation, because otherwise, it won't change."

Derek noted it's important to never give up on patience, but at the same time, one must defend his or herself.

"You have to make sure the other person is always knowing where you're coming from," Derek said.

"Because I think that's something I a little bit struggled with at some point. I just tried to make her feel better, but at the end of the day, a momentary gain isn't worth a longer game."

In addition, Derek told Jamie and Doug he had learned to never stop working on a marriage.

"I also learned in a marriage, don't be complacent. Just because you guys are in a happy place, it doesn't mean you'll forever be there. Constantly work every day to make it better. That's also another thing I struggled from," Derek shared.

"I guess all my lessons are from things I struggled with. But see every day as an opportunity to make something new, because the moment you stop doing it is the moment it stops happening."

Also during the podcast, Derek revealed what he thought Katie's "biggest issue" was in their marriage and when he believed their relationship started going downhill.

RELATED LINK: '90 DAY FIANCE' COUPLES NOW: WHERE ARE THEY NOW? WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS SPLIT? (PHOTOS)

In addition, Derek admitted he felt like Katie had no intention of remaining married to him despite proclaiming her desire to do so on "Decision Day."

Katie admitted to having a physical "slip-up" with her ex after "Decision Day," but she completely denied ever having an affair once she and Derek returned to Washington, D.C. from their honeymoon in Panama.

While Derek remains single and "open to finding love," Katie has moved on and has a new boyfriend, Brandon Eaves, with whom she went Instagram official on May 10.

Lifetime is currently airing Married at First Sight: Couples Cam on Wednesday nights at 8PM ET/PT.

RELATED: 'MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT' COUPLES NOW: WHAT COUPLES ARE STILL TOGETHER? WHO BROKE UP? (PHOTOS)

Interested in more Married at First Sight news? Join our Married at First Sight Facebook Group!
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON GOOGLE NEWS