Trigger warning: this article deals with body dysmorphia.
Married At First Sight Australia’s Olivia Frazer has been open with viewers about her weight loss journey from the very first episode, where she heartbreakingly admitted to “sizing” herself up against the other brides to see if she was “the biggest in the room.”
WATCH: Olivia and Jackson on their wedding day
It’s a well-known feeling for those who’ve struggled with their weight or body image issues, with many viewers sharing their support on social media when the premiere aired.
“The support that I’ve gotten from it has been amazing, it’s quite overwhelming. But I don’t love that people we’re relating to it,” Olivia tells WHO. “It’s an awful feeling and I hate that a lot of people go through it.”
The MAFS bride previously lost 50kg after undergoing gastric sleeve surgery at 22. She had gained weight after breaking her leg at 18, saying she’d always been someone who easily put on weight and it was difficult to keep the kilos from piling on when she was recovering.
“[The surgery] worked out really well for me, I’ve had a lot happier of a life. Not that my body image is great but it’s better than it was and I’m a lot happier for it,” she previously revealed.
In an early interview with Nine, Olivia admitted she still struggles with body dysmorphia and believed she always would struggle in some form or another.
“People like me will never be happy with how they look,” she told the publication. “I’ll never be happy with how I look but that’s OK… Gotta get on with it, it’s the one body I’ve got.”
Now, though, Olivia tells WHO her relationship with her body is the best it’s ever been – and her husband, Jackson Lonie, has played a major role in that.
“The difference between the hen’s night and being paired with Jackson, there was such a 180 with my body issues,” she says.
“It went from being the only thing I could think about, to something I didn’t think about for the rest of the time on the experiment. I was like, Jackson thinks I’m hot that’s all that matters.”
The 27-year-old bride says she had previously gone for guys she felt she “deserved” and that they would often treat her poorly.
“Going from how it was before with guys who would want to hang out with me at home and not in public, it always felt like who I was dating would be embarrassed to be seen with me,” she reveals.
“And now to be with Jackson who is outrageously proud to be my husband on national television… it’s just the most loved I’ve ever felt by a man in my entire life.”
READ NEXT: Are Olivia and Jackson still together? Everything you need to know
If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, help is always available. Call The Butterfly Foundation’s national helpline on 1800 33 4673 or visit their website.
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