While many of the My Kitchen Rules teams jumped at the opportunity to return to the cooking competition for a second chance at the title and $100,000, past contestant Roula almost said no.
“I was a bit taken back [by the offer] and I didn’t want to do it,” Roula, 36, tells TV WEEK.
After being painted as the villains in season nine of the competition, Roula explains she and best friend Rachael received a lot of hate online.
“Because we were portrayed as villains, we got bullied a lot on social media,” the Melbourne nanny recalls.
While Roula tried to “ignore” the backlash, her family struggled seeing the harsh comments attacking her online.
“I think my family were more affected by it than I was,” she reveals. “It’s hard for your family to see, you get thrown under the bus by trolls on the internet.”
“Everyone was getting very defensive and I said, ‘Let it go. If it’s not really fazing me, why should you let it faze you?'”
WATCH BELOW: The MKR rivalry between Jess and Emma and Rachael and Roula heats up. Post continues after video…
After the troubling experience, it’s no surprise Roula’s family weren’t thrilled with the idea of their loved one returning to the show.
“When I told them that I was going back on it, everyone was a bit hesitant,” she tells.
“They said, ‘Do you really want to go through the same pain you went through the first time?'”
Despite their concerns, Roula says after discussing it with team mate Rachael, the duo felt it was “time to redeem ourselves.”
The best friends from Melbourne are hoping to prove themselves as talented cooks this season, and keep the drama to a minimum.
“I’ve got an idea of what I’m going in to do now,” Roula says, “I don’t want to be amongst any of the drama, I just want to get in there and cook.”
