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  2. Married At First Sight

MAFS bride Hayley reveals: "Why I turned to drugs"

What drove the reality TV contestant to addiction?
  • 05 Feb 2020

It's no secret that Married At First Sight bride Hayley Vernon struggled with drug addiction in the past. 

WATCH: This bride's definitely a little bit out there!

And now, she's opened up about the circumstances that led to her addiction.

"My teenage years were probably a little bit rougher than most," she begins, speaking candidly.

Hayley explains that she came from a broken home – which, she adds, can "make it hard to find yourself as a person".

"I turned to drugs," she shrugs, owning every bit of her history.

"At the end of the day, it was as simple as that."

MAFS Hayley Vernon
Channel 9

But while she says it was 'simple', it certainly sounds like the finance broker – who has now been clean for several years – had a very rough family life.

"I was kicked out of home from the age of 17," she tells, "and I was abusing several substances."

"This was all I knew for eight or nine years," she explained.

"It’s actually the worst thing in the world. It’s crippling."

MAFS Hayley Vernon
Channel 9

Thankfully, when Hayley turned to fitness, she completely changed her life.

After following a female bodybuilder on Instagram, the MAFS bride was given the opportunity to join the fitness expert in Queensland, and was taught a new way of being in the world.

Training, Hayley reveals, gave her focus. 

"It gave me direction, it gave me purpose, it gave me focus," she says.

Through her struggles, the bubbly brunette's friends have been with her every step of the way.

"Hayley’s been through a lot,” says her best friend Bek – who Hayley describes as "the mum I haven't got in my life at the moment.

"To see where she’s come, it’s a really proud moment for me. She deserves [to be happy]."

MAFS Hayley Vernon fitness
Channel 9

Hayley's father couldn't be prouder of his little girl either, beaming with pride at the woman she is today.

"Dad's always got my back," she says. "He's my number-one supporter."

For Hayley – who has clearly come so far and worked incredibly hard to make positive changes in her life – all she asks is that people not define her by her history.

"The worst thing that could happen... is that they’re going to judge me on my past discretions," she says.

"That would probably break my heart."

MAFS Hayley Vernon dad
Channel 9

In a deeply personal interview with A Current Affair on February 3, the brave bodybuilder – who's already ruffling few feathers in the controversial reality TV show – opened up about the devastating effects of her decade-long drug habit.

"I battled things most women my age could only imagine... homelessness, mental abuse, physical abuse," the 32-year-old shared candidly.

"So what I can bring to the table is something that far outweighs my past."

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  • Reality TV

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