Melbourne makeup artist Tanya scored herself the title of this season’s Block villainess after she was unveiled as the mystery cheater last week.
The mother-of-two tells Woman’s Day she feared she’d get the boot from the series over the scandal, which saw a photo of the show’s production schedule shared among some of the contestants.
“Half the reason I stayed quiet is because I thought we’d get disqualified,” Tanya says of her and husband Vito’s actions.
And the 39-year-old admits she regrets not coming forward with the truth earlier.
Tanya said her and husband Vito would struggle in real life to be friends with Ronnie and Georgia.
(Nine).png?resize=380%2C285)
.png?resize=380%2C285)
“I acted out of fear,” she says. “You’re just in this bizarre Block bubble and put on the spot.
“I’m a mum with kids and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, this looks so bad. Being called a cheater – what’s this going to mean? This could totally defame us and could this affect us in real life?’
“But hindsight is an amazing thing and you can just look back and go, ‘What an idiot.'”
But while Tanya confesses she’s “super apologetic” for her behaviour and will “spend the rest of the season apologising”, she claims she isn’t the only one who should be coming clean.
Tanya said twins Luke and Josh cheated by “using their builder to paint”
(Nine)“A lot of people weren’t willing to own up to stuff and that’s where the conflict really lies,” she tells Woman’s Day, unwilling to name names.
“It’s hard to point the finger, when some people will probably deny it to their dying day. At some point, everyone cheats.
“Kirsty cheated because she took the furniture, the boys [twins Luke and Josh] cheated because they were using their builder to paint…”
Tanya denies that having access to the all-important production schedule gave her and Vito, 45, any advantage in the competition.
“In reality, the only advantage anybody ever had was the Faves – who have done it before,” she insists.
Indeed, there is no love lost between the makeup artist and Faves Ronnie and Georgia and Mitch and Mark, who she clashed with on-camera.
“It did shock me how aggressive Mitch and Mark got but what I said was a trigger point, as well,” Tanya tells Woman’s Day of their infamous bust-up during the body corporate meeting last week, where she seemingly referred to them as “pigs”.
“Vito and I would struggle in real life being friends with Ronnie and Georgia. They’re very competitive and very fierce,” says Tanya.
And while she says she isn’t nervous about facing her rivals come auction day, Tanya admits “there will definitely be tension” among the Blockheads.
Tanya denies that having access to the all-important production schedule gave her and Vito, 45, any advantage in the competition.
(Nine)“We’re all just one big dysfunctional family,” she says.
As for backlash from viewers, Tanya says bring it on!
“I don’t really give people the power of opinion unless they were there and they experienced it first-hand.
“I know that there will be a lot of opinions, but at the end of the day, people need to remember it’s a reality TV show before it’s a renovating show,” she says.
“Whilst I was feeling very embarrassed and regretful about what had taken place, producers were licking their chops. They should be thanking me!”
