When people find out Alessandra Rampolla is a clinical sexologist, she admits they’re often “slightly taken aback”.
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“Very quickly, there’s almost like an invisible permission and they think, ‘Well, if you’re a sexologist then I suppose what I’m thinking I can just now say out loud,’” she tells WHO.
Her job title is certainly sure to strike up some interesting dinner party conversations on this season of Married at First Sight – with Rampolla, 46, stepping in as the show’s new expert after Dr Trisha Stratford’s departure last season.
“The contestants’ sexual expectations is kind of where I come in,” she explains.
“Sex is a strong bonding factor for a relationship and it’s one of the pillars that will sustain the relationship and actually define it as such, because otherwise you’re just living with a really good friend.”
Here, Rampolla, who’s currently single (her seven-year marriage ended in 2011), talks sex, being single and why the show has us hooked each season …
How did your role on MAFS come about?
Like magic, it fell on my lap! It was very serendipitous and unexpected actually … everything came together and I was able to travel to Australia in August. So it was a big surprise for my 2020 – I wasn’t expecting to be in Australia this year!
What were your thoughts on the show?
I got hooked right off the bat. We’re all interested in relationships, we all have issues with relationships and people don’t tend to talk about difficulties in their relationships even with their friends – unless they’re really close. So we don’t often get a chance to take a peek inside other people’s lives.
Of course, it’s reality TV, it’s entertainment and it’s going to be fun and a little crazy and dramatic and emotional. But I think there’s also a strong educational aspect to this experiment that can be very helpful for people in terms of getting those conversations going at home.
There’s only a handful of couples that have managed to make it work from the experiment. Why do you think that is?
I think it’s because it’s a reality show and we’re showing reality! People don’t always make it and I think that’s part of the beauty is that there’s no glossing over trying to force things that aren’t there. It’s an experiment, we look at compatibility and we use our best professional judgement to put together these couples. Then you’re going to need the magic that’s either there or isn’t. Just the sheer fact there’s now two MAFS babies, I think that’s amazing! And the fact they even exist is a huge success for the relationship experiment.
How did you get into this line of work?
I really feel this is what I was meant to do with my life, I needed to be a sexologist. I’m Puerto Rican from a very traditional Catholic background; sexuality wasn’t something that was talked about while I was growing up. But it became a really important topic because it naturally was something that interested me. I wanted to know why nobody is talking to me about how I’m feeling and the questions I have. So it very organically came to me and I’ve now been in my field of work for over 20 years, basically doing educational, clinical sexology on TV and radio. I’ve also written five books. I do a little bit of everything.
What about your love-life?
I’m officially single this year! It’s crazy because I came over to Australia fully by myself. It’s a very odd, strange year and I had to face this adventure completely on my own, so I’m actually glad I’m not in a relationship right now because I think it would be really, really hard to be away from them for so long. But I’m open to Australians making a pass at me [laughs].
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