MAFS' Domenica Calarco breaks silence after mental health retreat stay: 'A lot of trauma'

Married At First Sight's Domenica Calarco has returned to social media following her three-week stay in a mental health retreat, reactivating her Instagram page and addressing followers and friends from the facility where she's been staying.

The 31-year-old reality star and podcast uploaded an 8-minute long Instagram Reel addressing her absence saying she wanted to have an "honest and heartfelt" conversation with fans, thanking them for their support.

"As many of you know I've been on a break for the past month to focus on my mental health. This journey has been incredibly challenging but also deeply transforming for me," she shared, saying she needed the time offline to "heal, reflect, and gain a better understanding" of herself.

Dom went on to address past trauma that she said she hadn't worked through including her time on Married At First Sight, which led to her eventual stay in the retreat.

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"I had a lot of trauma that I didn't work through from my childhood and I know that now. And then I went through a divorce in my 20s and then MAFS which in itself was an incredible experience but also quite traumatic," she said.

Dom entered the facility not long after intense backlash from an episode of her podcast Sit With Us, which she co-hosts with Ella Ding. The episode saw the two interview Jack Dunkley and Tori Adams, and fans were less impressed with the airtime given to Jack after his controversial behaviour on this year's MAFS.

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Dom said in her video that she had reached a point where she "no longer wanted to suffer" and start her journey to happiness again, saying just over a month ago she had spiralled into a "deep depression".

"I didn't want to suffer with my mental illness in the way that I was upon reflection I realised that I was putting my happiness in the hands of other people," Dom said. "I'm in charge of my own joy and it's time for me to enjoy my life again and realising that I'm happy with the person I'm becoming is just really life-changing for me."

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