Domenica Calarco has returned to public life and social media after revealing that she was recently discharged from a mental health ward.
The Married At First Sight bride, who shaved her hair in March as part of the World’s Greatest Shave charity campaign, decided to embrace the cut.
The 31-year-old, who is currently enjoying a holiday in Italy, revealed on Friday that she decided to get a pixie-style haircut, inspired by Audrey Hepburn.
“I just got back from the beach and I decided I want to cut my hair shorter, I want to look like Aubrey Hepburn in Italy, in Roman Holiday,” she explained.
“This could go very wrong or very right.”
He then documented the process of getting the new hairstyle at a barbershop in Calabria, located in southwestern Italy.
“I had my doubts about whether Bruno could follow through with the instructions, but he did it without hesitation. I am OBSESSED with my pixie cut,” Dom said afterwards.
“Domenica from six months ago would not have been able to do this!” he added, describing this upgrade as part of his “growth”.
Domenica Calarco (pictured) has returned to public life and social media after revealing she was recently discharged from a mental health ward. The Married At First Sight bride sports a new pixie haircut
The update comes just days after Calarco revealed she is no longer taking antidepressants for the first time in 15 years.
She took to Instagram to share a video of herself from her 21-day stay at a private mental health facility in New South Wales.
Dom has spoken openly about his mental health struggles in recent weeks after suffering a “major depressive episode”, and has now detailed his medication changes.
In his latest video, Dom gave insight into his “difficult” experience with medication, telling how he stopped taking sertraline after feeling the antidepressant was no longer working.
The 31-year-old, who is currently enjoying a holiday in Italy, revealed on Friday that she decided to go for a pixie cut, inspired by Audrey Hepburn in the film Roman Holiday (left). Dom recreated the scene at a local hair salon in Calabria, located in south-west Italy (right)
Sertraline is an antidepressant that belongs to a group of medications called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which increase the amount of serotonin in the brain.
Dom explained that his doctor was taking him off sertraline for the first time in 15 years with a plan to “transition” him to a new antidepressant, which he has already started taking.
“That’s the reality of switching medications,” she shared. “Last night, we had a meeting with my doctor and we wanted to try and see if the medication I was on previously was actually working.
“I’ve been feeling like it’s not working for a while now, so I think we need to transition to something new. That’s what we’re doing.”
Domenica checked herself into a mental health facility after falling into depression following her time on MAFS.
“I just got back from the beach and I decided I want to cut my hair shorter, I want to look like Aubrey Hepburn in Italy, in Roman Holiday,” she explained.
Calarco reactivated his Instagram page last week and offered a lengthy explanation of what has been happening in a video taken at the facility on the day of his discharge.
“I can safely say it’s been a while. I wanted to take this moment to have an honest and heartfelt conversation with all of you who have been with me through thick and thin,” he began.
‘As many of you know, I’ve been on a break for the past month to focus on my mental health. This journey has been incredibly challenging, but also deeply transformative for me.
Dom said she needed time to “heal, reflect and better understand herself” and thanked fans for their support during the difficult time.
The reality TV star explained how she had “fallen into a deep depression” more than a month ago and “couldn’t see a way out”.
Dom previously had a sleek bob, but has changed her hairstyle routinely.
“I had a lot of trauma that I didn’t get over in my childhood and I know that now. Then I went through a divorce in my early 20s and then MAFS, which in itself was an amazing experience but also quite traumatic,” she shared.
“I didn’t want to suffer with my mental illness the way I was. Upon reflection, I realized I was putting my happiness in other people’s hands.”
Dom said he had reached a point where he “didn’t want to suffer anymore” and began his journey to happiness again with his stay at the mental health facility.
“I’m in charge of my own joy and it’s time for me to enjoy my life again and realizing that I’m happy with the person I’m becoming is really life-changing,” she added.
Dom disappeared from the spotlight following criticism from The Bachelor star turned podcaster Abbie Chatfield.
The backlash came after she and fellow MAFS star Ella Ding hosted controversial boyfriend Jack Dunkley on their podcast, Sit With Us.
If this story has affected you, call Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14 or visit their website lifeline.org.au.
