Halfway through the experiment, Natasha and her husband Mikey Pembroke were sent packing after numerous scandals caused her to spiral out of control.
“I have had a lot of things happen in my past, which were brought up on the show, which is the reason I left,” said Natasha the beaten-down reality star, adding producers coerced her into revealing intimate details about her upbringing.
“Things happened in my childhood, which I didn’t want brought up. I was just anxious. Childhood trauma is nothing we can control and it was wrong of them to bring it up. So after parents day, I was crying in the toilet with my mum for like an hour and a half. Afterwards, they filmed Mikey coming back saying 'let's try and do this' but I was already too tired. After that, I just shut down."
It's believed the circumstances became so dire, Natasha began suffering terrible panic attacks. That's when she finally knew it was time to pull the pin on her marriage as well.
“I had a panic attack on there because I had a failing relationship and production was pushing me to tell [her husband Mikey’s] parents what a terrible partner he was. I lost it and started crying.”
Speaking to WHO online exclusively about her time on the controversial series, Natasha said she felt alone and unsupported.
"You don't have adequate support. It was horrible and I wish it on no one," she told us over the phone. "I would recommend drinking battery acid instead of going on MAFS. They're providing help for us now and giving us six free sessions with a psychologist because of the uproar we've caused. But in the experiment, I felt so alone."
In spite of this, Channel Nine maintains the contestants are cared for. After reaching out for comment, the network responded with an official statement which read:
“Nine takes its obligations in respect to the health and wellbeing of the participants of this program extremely seriously. All participants have access to the show psychologist during filming, during broadcast and once the program has ended.
"Nine has arranged an additional service for participants should they like or need further individual and confidential psychological support. This service gives participants access to psychologists who have been specifically engaged to support those involved in the program in relation to their experiences. This service is a dedicated helpline from which participants can also arrange face to face sessions and is an ongoing service available to them all after the series has ended.”
Need help? Call Lifeline on 131 114, visit www.lifeline.org.au/get-help/get-help-home, or call beyondblue on 1300 224 636. If you would like to talk to someone about mental health call Headspace on 1800 650 890. If you are in immediate danger, call 000
