diff --git a/dsl/matcher.go b/dsl/matcher.go
index f0e84a147..d24ae57fd 100644
--- a/dsl/matcher.go
+++ b/dsl/matcher.go
@@ -412,7 +412,7 @@ func pluckParams(srcType reflect.Type, pactTag string) params {
 			if _, err := fmt.Sscanf(components[0], "example=%s", &params.str.example); err != nil {
 				triggerInvalidPactTagPanic(pactTag, err)
 			}
-			params.str.regEx = strings.Replace(components[1], `\`, `\\`, -1)
+			params.str.regEx = components[1]
 
 		} else if exampleRegex.Match([]byte(pactTag)) {
 			components := strings.Split(pactTag, "example=")
diff --git a/dsl/matcher_test.go b/dsl/matcher_test.go
index cc67ad86c..986c9c233 100644
--- a/dsl/matcher_test.go
+++ b/dsl/matcher_test.go
@@ -617,7 +617,7 @@ func TestMatch(t *testing.T) {
 				src: dateDTO{},
 			},
 			want: StructMatcher{
-				"date": Term("2000-01-01", `^\\d{4}-\\d{2}-\\d{2}$`),
+				"date": Term("2000-01-01", `^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}$`),
 			},
 		},
 		{
@@ -863,7 +863,7 @@ func Test_pluckParams(t *testing.T) {
 				},
 				str: stringParams{
 					example: "33",
-					regEx:   `\\d{2}`,
+					regEx:   `\d{2}`,
 				},
 			},
 		},