Former Married At First Sight star Domenica Calarco shares worrying message amid backlash

Former Married At First Sight bride Domenica Calarco copped flack for supporting this year’s controversial MAFS star, Jack Dunkley.

Former Married At First Sight bride Domenica Calarco has shared a worrying message on Instagram after copping backlash for supporting this year’s controversial MAFS star, Jack Dunkley.

Domenica and former MAFS bride Ella Ding had recently invited Jack and his onscreen wife Tori Adams on their podcast, Sit With Us, and on the episode they defended his actions on the show, even excusing his comment for co-star Jonathan McCullough to “muzzle” his wife Lauren Dunn during a dinner party.

The backlash was brutal from both listeners and social media users, but Domenica and Ella doubled down on their stance in the days that followed, while also arguing that Jack and Tori’s episode numbers were their highest so far.

However, after being called out by the likes of media personality and FBoy Island Australia host Abbie Chatfield – who expressed her disappointment in the duo for victim-blaming Lauren and upholding misogyny – Domenica says her mental health has taken a hit and she now needs to take a breather.

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Domenica Calarco (right) and Ella May Ding have been embraced by fans since appearing on MAFS in 2022. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

“Over the last month, I have been struggling with some deep issues that have left me emotionally, physically and psychologically drained,” she wrote in a message posted to Instagram Stories on Sunday.

“Everyday, I am trying to be the strong, independent and bubbly person that you all know me to be, but the reality is that I am not okay and the recent social media discourse has forced me to realise that I am at the end of my tether.”

Dom told fans she is taking a break at a mental health retreat.

In her post, Domenica – who appeared in Season 9 of MAFS in 2022 along with Ella – said she has suffered from mental health issues for more than a decade and the past month has been triggering.

“As someone who has dealt with mental illness for 15 years, I have come to the realisation that I need to put my health, both physically and mentally, as the number one priority and have decided to enter a mental health retreat,” she concluded.

Her concerning post comes days after she also revealed she was suffering from extreme anxiety and has not wanted to leave her house as a result.

The MAFS star has shared her feelings of anxiety in recent TikTok videos.

Dom says she is sometimes unable to leave her house since the backlash began.

“It’s scary that this stress, this anxiety, this pressure, this feeling of failure and this feeling of ‘I’m not good enough’ and this feeling of ‘I’ve f***ed up’ is manifesting itself in this way of wanting to do that to myself, wanting to run away, being really scared,” she said in a TikTok video, adding that her self-esteem was “literally at an all-time low”.

“I just wanted to make this little video. I’m not doing it for f***ing sympathy at all because that’s not what I’m after here. I’m just putting this out there to say I am human, I’m human.”

Domenica and Ella have since apologised in a new Sit With Us podcast titled “A Time To Reflect, Learn and Grow”.

In the 34-minute ep, they discussed the fallout, saying that yes they “stumbled” for taking Jack’s side, but they are not “traitors to feminism” as Abbie had called them.

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“I personally think if you are a Sit With Us listener and you’ve been a loyal listener for two years, if you genuinely think that we support domestic violence and support misogyny, I think it’s very silly,” Domenica said.

“We’re not doubling down here. Yes, we may have stumbled. But we strongly push back on the horrendous comments that we are anti-feminist and perpetuating domestic violence in this country.”

Domenica went on to say that for “for making people feel uncomfortable and for triggering them by having Jack on [the podcast], I apologise”.

“Thousands of hateful comments have claimed that we aren’t real feminists. And in the same breath they’ve admitted they’ve never engaged in our content,” she added.

“Saying that we support domestic violence is disgusting.”

Originally published as Former Married At First Sight star Domenica Calarco shares worrying message amid backlash