Since her emotional affair with Dean Wells hit our screens on the nation’s most popular TV show, Married At First Sight, Davina Rankin has gone into hiding.
But now, the 26-year-old is breaking her silence in a bid to help raise awareness and education around cyber bulling.
In an interview with ABC News, Davina reveals the onslaught of abuse she’s received online for her portrayal on the show has been devastating.
“I barely got out of this whole ordeal alive, I can’t even imagine what it would be like for younger boys and girls who have to deal with this alone,” the Queensland beauty tells the publication.
The social media influencer, who has over 300K Instagram followers, found herself at the centre of the show’s biggest scandal after she and Dean made a secret pact to leave their respective partners and re-enter the experiment as a new couple.
Her plan came crashing down after Dean had a change of heart and decided to stay with his “wife”, Tracey Jewel.
Davina and Dean’s “affair” became the main plot-line on MAFS this year.
“It’s just crazy because people believe so much. They genuinely believe I had an affair on my husband. This was a guy I’d only known for a week, we’re not boyfriend and girlfriend, let alone husband and wife,” she notes of her “husband”, Ryan Gallagher.
“And if it was such a ‘secret’ why were there cameras in my face the whole time?”
Indeed, a quick glance at social media and it’s easy to see just how vile some of the abuse aimed at Davina has been.
“I’ve had people tell me they would punch me if they saw me on the street … death threats,” she says.
The MAFS star also says her portrayal as a “man-eating villain” couldn’t be further from the truth.
“I should have seen the warning signs, they were looking for a specific person to fill my character’s role — they already knew what they wanted from my character before they even met me.”
WATCH: Grubby grooms discuss partner-swapping on MAFS. Post continues…
Back in the spotlight: Davina made a rare public appearance at VAMFF in Melbourne this week.
Earlier in the week, Davina released a heartfelt video on YouTube thanking fans for their support.
“This has actually been really hard for me to talk about, so I figured my best option was to just switch off and disconnect from a world that I’m usually very connected to,” she explained.
“I’ve been copping a really large amount of hate and it’s not something I’m used to. To be honest, it really shook me. That’s why I’ve been distant and silent.”
Struggling to hold back tears, Davina went on to thank her friends, family and followers for their support in the wake of her and husband Ryan Gallagher’s exit from the hit Nine show.
“It’s been a hard and traumatic experience for me,” she said.
If you need immediate advice, contact Lifeline (lifeline.org.au) 24/7 on 1311 14, the Kids Help Line on 1800 55 1800 or visit Headspace at (headspace.org.au).
