Ning Surasiang was one of the most relatable contestants on the current season of Married At First Sight, winning the hearts of Australian viewers by opening up about her life struggles from leaving home at the age of 16 when she gave birth to her first child to a failed engagement and supporting three children as a single mother.
The 33-year-old has now opened up about a more recent struggle which saw her and her little ones homeless right after filming wrapped for the social experiment.
Soon after the Queenslander was dumped by TV husband Mark Scrivens, disaster of a different kind struck when her hometown of Townsville was hit with apocalyptic floods.
Speaking to 9Honey, Ning detailed the traumatic experience which damaged over 1,800 homes and businesses when over a year’s worth of rainfall fell in just nine days in early January.
“I’ve been in Townsville for 20 years and nothing like this had ever happened,” Ning shared.
“About a month after shooting the show and the Christmas period, I was dealing with evacuating our entire home and uprooting the lives of me and my three children.”
The reality star revealed she tried to salvage some of her possessions by pushing furniture to the back of the house and throwing the children’s toys on their beds before the family was dramatically rescued in a life boat by army services.
“I felt really helpless and so trapped – I couldn’t help my children because I couldn’t help myself,” she confessed.
But despite the harrowing nature of their ordeal, Ning managed to make some light of the situation thanks to her daughter.
“There was a funny moment on the boat when I was carrying this little umbrella trying to shield my kids from the rain.
“My daughter just turned to me and said, we’re already wet – what are you trying to do?”
Ning and her children – aged 15, 7 and 3 – have since found a new home.
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