Sara on facing judgement and making amends on MAFS 2024: 'I deserved every single bit of it'
When asked about the backlash she received from her fellow Married at First Sight Participants, Sara's answer is simple: "I deserved every single bit of it."
Reflecting on the scandal that erupted when she secretly met with her ex without Tim's knowledge, Sara strikes a different tone than when we saw defending herself at a recent Dinner Party.
"Everyone felt really passionate about it" she reflects. "I know why they felt passionate about it. So I don't hold any hard feelings for them."
The benefit of hindsight has afforded Sara a clearer understanding of her actions, acknowledging she should've handled the situation differently.
"I should have just apologised to Tim," Sara says. "I should have. I should have consoled him. I should have just been like, 'I am so sorry'."
However, she also recounts feeling blindsided by an ultimatum from Eden, who Sara counted as a close friend in the experiment.
Sara opened up about the week that was on the official podcast. Nine
"It was hard experiencing that with a friend" Sara admits. "It would have been nice if maybe at the retreat she came to me and said, 'Hey, I don't really think that this is right'. And I could have been like, 'Give me a second to go tell Tim'.
"I would have pulled him aside. Very different."
Instead, Sara says she was "shocked" and was thrust into damage control.
"I just felt I needed to be like 'I didn't cheat. I didn't cheat. It didn't happen'. But it was the wrong thing to do. It was the wrong way to go about it. And I know that now. And I'm trying really hard to learn from those mistakes."
Sara also revealed the real reason why she didn't want Tim to see her phone in Intimacy Week challenge... and it's quite a simple explanation.
Find out exactly why by listening to the podcast episode above.
We've seen Sara's efforts at reconciliation with Tim play out since then.
Sara has "pulled out all the stops", feeling strongly that her relationship was worth saving after she "had just gotten to a place where I finally saw some sort of future with Tim, genuinely."
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And while she might be watching these episodes back through her fingers, Sara reflects that they reveal a journey that could only happen in MAFS.
"A lot of people got lucky in their relationships… but it wasn't like that for everyone," she says.
"The whole point of the experiment is that you're paired with a complete stranger, but you're learning about each other and each week taking what the experts say and working on that. And that's exactly what Tim and I did. I think we were the epitome of the experiment."
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Listen to all of Sara's chat with Shelly Horton by listening to the Married at First Sight Official Podcast or watching the full filmed version on 9Now.
The MAFS Official Podcast is available now, so subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
On Apple, click here, or on Spotify, click here.
You can also watch the podcast episode exclusively on 9Now.
Married At First Sight continues Sunday at 7pm and Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now. Catch up on 9Now.
