We are counting down the days until February 22 when the new season of Married At First Sight hits screens and we meet the latest batch of brides and grooms looking for love.
WATCH BELOW: Married At First Sight 2021 promises the biggest year of love
The show has seen every day Aussies transform into reality TV stars so it’s fair to say that life undoubtedly changes once you star on the hit show.
However, with all that attention and glamour there are some downsides – namely online trolls and critics – and one former MAFS star has some tip top advice for the incoming contestants.
Fans will remember season five bride Sarah Roza who was partnered with Telv Williams during the relationship experiment. The 42-year-old beauty influencer also re-lived her MAFS experience at the recent reunion special and though her story wasn’t the most controversial of the series, she has some wise words for any future TV brides and grooms.
“I personally know a few of the guys on it and have had a few discussions with them,” Sarah exclusively tells WHO of the incoming 2021 stars.
“I said to them to try and be yourself, don’t drink too much, make sure you’re home on time and doing the right thing – all the normal things I think a parent would say to their kid when they go out for their first night!”
The season five star adds that the contestants who enter the experiment as their genuine selves looking for love are the ones who will stay out of trouble.
“If you go with good intent, I feel like people will be able to see that shine through in you,” she says.
“It’s only when people’s intent isn’t true or that they’re there for other means whether that’s for celebrity, pumping up their own business or when you try and one-up somebody, that’s when you’re going to be in trouble and that’s when your house of cards will fall apart and you’ll be exposed.
“I hope people are going in there for love – there have been some success stories but it’s one of those situations where I think that if you go with the best intent and you stay true to yourself and you be good and kind, you’ll be ok.”
Sarah also has some words for viewers at home: not everything that plays out on screen is exactly as it went down in real life.
“I understand that a lot of the MAFS fans are very passionate and the message for them is that what you’re watching is not exactly what has happened,” she says.
“That doesn’t mean people are acting or it’s staged because it’s not – there are thousands of hours of footage and it’s edited to the pleasure of the producers – but they have to have footage to start with and string the story together.
“For the viewing public just understand there’s a lot more that goes on behind the scenes. Even the cast aren’t privy to everything, a lot of the stuff is hearsay and then there are always two sides to every story. It’s like a kaleidoscope of events but that’s why people love it.”
Life after reality TV for Sarah has been relatively normal.
Now working as a beauty influencer with more than 367,000 followers on Instagram, Sarah’s career is flourishing but admits that meeting Mr Right has proven a little trickier.
“Dating is almost impossible!” she laughs, explaining that though she’s on a couple of online dating sites, she’s not constantly swiping.
“It is actually a lot more difficult – I think people think men are beating down our doors but that’s not the situation at all. If anything I feel like a lot of people are scared to be in the limelight because of some of the stuff that can happen like trolling and not being able to go to certain places because someone will recognise you.”
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