Read on to see the full transcript of our exclusive interview with Lyndall.
New Idea: Tell us about the Final Vows and what it was like going through that moment.
Lyndall: At the time, I was terrified! I was, like, ‘Just keep taking deep breaths, and don’t speak too fast, you don’t want to rush this, give it the time it needs’. Also, like, walking down that hill to where we had to stand. I was thinking, ‘Please don’t trip over, you’re wearing white, you will get grass stains!’ [Laughs]. I was really anxious but I’d already written it, and I knew that I needed to have some power in it. So, somehow I managed to deliver.
How long did it take you to pull it all together? It was quite a big speech!
It was! It took me, I would say a couple of days. I think there were, like, seven versions. So, yeah, it was a lot. And I think it was hard as well because I wanted to be really honest, I wanted to be really assertive, but I also didn’t want to, I didn’t want any of it to come off as nasty or petty or anything like that. I really wanted it to be strong. So I think it was just like, tweaking bits here and there, and making sure that I really covered everything that I wanted to cover.
It takes a lot to keep things under control with a speech like that.
I was, like, YouTube-ing public speaking tips! [laughs]
Were you expecting his response to be as it was?
It’s hard. I was disappointed but I also was surprised. I think there [were] a few times where I tried to offer calm criticism to Cam and his initial response [was,] ‘Shut it down and walk out the door’. So, I kind of knew that that was a possibility but, I don’t know… Look, if he’d stood there and said, ‘No, I have some really important things I want to say,’ I would’ve been like, ‘Okay, go ahead.’ But I didn’t feel like he cared that much about it.
Did you ever read Cam’s Final Vows?
I have been told a few snippets here and there [you can read Cam’s vows in full here] but I really wasn’t interested six months ago when we had that conversation, and I don’t think that it would change anything for me now. I have all the closure I need. I got to hear and see from him repeatedly how he felt and I think that tells me everything I need to know.
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Do you care what he’s saying now?
It’s not that I don’t care, it’s just that I have already processed that ending. I decided going into that, if I don’t want to listen to this then I don’t have to. It was kind of like a self-care moment. He’d already upset me so many times in the last few weeks with these things, it was like, is it going to be any different? And so I was like, no, you know what, I want this moment. You know what, for the first time I was like this is going to be my moment to say exactly how I feel and I didn’t want to ruin it or take away from that by getting upset again.
Do you have any regrets from the Married At First Sight experiment?
I’ve thought about this a little bit. I don’t think I have any regrets in terms of the relationship. I think that it was something that I needed to go through. It was like, kind of, getting smaller and smaller over a period of time, trying to fit into a mould that Cam wanted me to fit into, just to find out that mould was useless anyway because it was never gonna happen.
But I think, in terms of like actual regret, the only [one] I have, I think it was about midway through the experiment, it was just after Cam and I had had an argument about Shannon, and you know, he was like ‘You always get involved’, and I didn’t want to be involved that day, at all, I really didn’t want to have that information, but I also wanted to do the most right thing that I could, and after that, I said, ‘Alright everyone, I’m gonna just back away from the group a little bit now, I’m gonna stay in our lane, and I’m gonna, I don’t want to hear about anything before the dinner party. I’ll find out at the dinner party so maybe just leave me out.’
And the shame in that is that it was when Sandy started going through a really, really rough time. And I remember just like feeling so heartbroken I wasn’t there for her at that time because she is so incredible and I would’ve given anything to be there supporting her and I was just blindsided by the entire situation, with the butt dial and things, and so, yeah, that’s the only thing that I wish I’d changed because you can’t get that back, I can’t get that opportunity to be that friend for her, back. So, we are good friends [now still], so…
Do you realise that the line about staying in your lane has become iconic?
[Laughs] Yeah, I felt at the time it was something that Cam had always said to me about any time that something bad would happen, he’d be like, ‘Just stay in your lane. I don’t know why you care,’ and I was like, well I care about these people, and I think I was like, your lane looks lonely and it’s going to a place that I don’t really want to go to. Mine looks bright and fun and loved and like, yeah, and so I just thought, you want me to stay in my lane, I absolutely will! Yeah! [Laughs]
What misconceptions might there be? Were you happy with how you were presented?
I mean like, how could you be mad about that? I think they did a really good job of showing the friend that I was to people, and the way that I value things and speaking up sometimes but always trying to be eloquent and articulate and everything. I think the only misconception, and it only happened recently, the only misconception on the show, which probably wasn’t even the show’s fault, but I got called a ‘city girl’ and I was really surprised!
Because I love make-up and I love hair and I love outfits and stuff, but like I grew up in farm land in rural New South Wales and far north Queensland. I did not grow up a city girl! I mean, I live in a city now, but it’s Perth, mate! And, like, most holidays, we’ll go up and see my grandparents in Harvey Bay. They used to live up near McKay in this tiny town [and] it’s my favourite thing in the world. So that’s a big misconception! And just because I wore pink sunglasses doesn’t mean that I can’t get my hands dirty. But other than that, I think that they’ve done a really fantastic job.
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In terms of happy stories, do you think Tahnee and Ollie will get married?
If they don’t get married then I don’t know what I’m going to do! [Laughs] They are just so sweet, they’re so united, they’re each other’s best friend. I absolutely love them. And I tell you what, I say this to every single person, they made every bit of trauma, every bit of hardship, worth it, to go through that experiment so they had the opportunity to meet, they made every second worth it.
So you’ll be at their wedding?
I better be! I’m gonna officiate it, or maybe Jesse will! [Laughs]
What is next for you?
I’m definitely going to take a bit of time to decompress and get used to my life again now. I mean… It’s so hard to move forward with your life when you’re watching everything unravel on TV so it’s like, I think once the episodes are out, I want to spend a really good amount of time just really [focusing on] my friendships and my life and how happy I am.
Because that’s where I was at before I went in and this will be the first time in almost a year now, since I applied, that I’m able to really embrace that again. So chill for a minute [is next for me]. But I’m pretty hectic anyway so I’ll probably end up doing something crazy before the end of the year!
And how’s your health?
My health is incredible. It’s not something I think about or worry about anymore, like it’s absolutely changed. Unless it’s, ‘Oh god I’ve forgotten my tablets this morning,’ I really don’t think about it. Everything’s just amazing.
Do you think it was great to represent cystic fibrosis on the show? Do you see that as an achievement in itself?
I think yes and I think as well it was a massive thing for me to talk about. Because for a lot of my life I hid it, and didn’t tell anyone. And I think it’s so weird because at the time you’re just sitting in a room with a camera guy, a sound guy or girl… and a producer, and you’re just sharing your story with those people. But then to watch it play out for millions of people, is another thing. And I was very proud of how vulnerable I was with all of it because a lot of those conversations I had, I hadn’t even had with my family before, so, yeah, it was massive.