She spent all season of Married At First Sight trapped in a disastrous marriage to Dean Wells, so when Tracey Jewel announced her relationship with co-star Sean Thomsen during the reunion special, she expected to finally have her happy ever after.
She and Sean made plans to leave Perth and build a new life together in Melbourne, and were already talking about starting a family.
Instead, the star has had to abandon all plans to move interstate with her new man after silently suffering a mental breakdown and seeking psychiatric help.
“I wasn’t aware of what was happening at first, but I was on a complete downward spiral,” Tracey, 35, bravely admits to NW of life after Dean’s affair with Davina Rankin, which first hit our screens in February.
“Watching yourself be cheated on, especially in front of the whole country, is probably one of my biggest insecurities, and seeing it all unfold was the catalyst of my issues.”
Yep, if you thought life as a popular reality star is all fun and freebies, think again…
“As the show started to air I just couldn’t cope. I found a psychiatrist in Perth and she told me I had PTSD [Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder]. I shut down all my emotions during filming as a form of self-protection and to get through it,” Tracey continues.
“But having to relive it again as the show aired has been really overwhelming. Everything I blocked out started bubbling to the surface and I knew I needed help. I’m not a depressive person, but the anxiety and feeling of constantly being on edge has been too much.”
Pick up this week’s NW magazine to read Tracey’s emotional full chat where she details how she’s feared for her safety, been targeted out in public and had to cut Dean out of her life “for the sake my sanity.”
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).
