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MAFS's Amanda Micallef asks fans for $10k to move interstate
Married At First Sight’s Amanda Micallef has decided that she wants to quit her home in Melbourne to ‘start a brand new life’ on the sunny Gold Coast — and she wants her fans to pay her way.
The former TV bride launched a fundraising page on GoFundMe on Thursday, asking people to help her reach her goal amount of $10,000 to cover her relocation costs which include flights, hotel quarantine and eventually a new place to live.
“Hey! Thank you for taking the time to read this and even considering to make a generous donation,” Amanda writes on GoFundMe.
“I have decided it’s time to start a brand new life and move from Melbourne to the Gold Coast.
“This move won’t be cheap with flights for both myself and the cat which will need to be separated, hotel quarantine for me and pet hotel for Smokey. Transporting my personal belongings along with my car across the borders and setting myself up in a new house.
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“I would love your help to help me make this happen.”
At the time of publishing, 18 generous individuals had helped Amanda — who, with bride Tash Herz, was one half of MAFS’s first same-sex couple — to raise just over $5k.
But not everyone was happy about Amanda’s decision to ask others to fund her lifestyle change, with many taking to Facebook to slam the move.
“WTF this is beyond words,” wrote one.
“What, but isn’t she a celebrity with lots of money?” asked another.
“That's a nope from me,” added one.
Following the backlash, personal trainer Amanda reportedly defended herself in an Instagram Story video that’s since expired, tearily revealing that she is ‘technically homeless’.
“I asked for help financially and I’m sorry because it seems I'm not allowed to,” she sobbed.
“I’ve been slammed on social media, I’ve been sent all sorts of horrible DMs... the truth is I’ve had a horrible year, horrible!
“Since leaving the show [MAFS], my business has gone down. I run four businesses and I don’t take a f***ing cent from three of them...
“I’m speechless and gutted, I’m sorry I even bothered asking for help. Being a public figure is such a curse at times because you constantly get slammed. You want us to be perfect... I understand that a lot of us are struggling right now but guess what, I’m probably worse off than a lot of people... I’ve had such a sh*t time in Melbourne I need to get the f*** out of here for my sanity and my mental health.”
In another video, the 34-year-old claimed that she ‘wasn’t working full time’ and was instead relying on government support, citing the forced closure of gyms under Victoria’s strict stage 4 COVID-19 laws as a contributing factor.
“We’re pretty screwed here in Melbourne, all the gyms are shut. I’m surviving off Centrelink for those of you who don’t know.
“What I don’t need is any hate messages or calling me a cheapskate or anything like that, because I can assure you that I’m struggling just like everyone else.”
Since her appearance on the Channel Nine reality show, Amanda has endorsed multiple brands and products on her Instagram account — such as clothing subscription and luxury consignment stores —but says that she either did so for free or received little remuneration.
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