Timothy Smith says he acknowledges his past as a drug dealer after speaking out about his crimes earlier this year.
The Married At First Sight star, 52, appeared on Channel Nine news show A Current Affair shortly after the dating series ended and confessed to his criminal record which saw him spend more than a year behind bars.
On Thursday, the former reality star took to Instagram to open up about the “bad decisions” she made when she was younger and noted that she takes responsibility.
‘Many people approached me and asked me about my ACA interview. “I did it, I own it and I strive to be open about my past,” he captioned the post, adding the hashtag #baddecisions, among others.
The season 11 star’s criminal record was revealed by A Current Affair in April, and viewers were shocked to learn that the real estate mogul spent more than a year behind bars.
Timothy Smith (pictured) says he acknowledges his past as a drug dealer after speaking out about his crimes earlier this year.
Timothy had been caught using a helicopter to smuggle large quantities of marijuana from Canada to the United States 17 years ago.
During his prison sentence, tragedy struck twice: his mother and younger brother died.
Instead of turning their backs on the reality star, fans flocked to social media to express empathy, declaring that the boyfriend “has served his time” and “is still a good guy” regardless of his past.
During his appearance on A Current Affair, an emotional Timothy expressed his regret after being caught smuggling marijuana.
“I was a helicopter pilot in North America and I did something really stupid,” he said, revealing that he was paid to take flying lessons for the purpose of trafficking.
‘It’s something I’m not proud of. “I’m definitely not proud of it, but it doesn’t define who I am and I’m not the same person I was 17 years ago.”
The MAFS star, 52, appeared on A Current Affair shortly after the dating series ended and confessed to his criminal record which saw him spend more than a year behind bars.
On Thursday, Timothy took to Instagram to talk about the “bad decisions” he made when he was younger and noted that he takes responsibility.
Timothy said he would earn $100,000 per trip across the border flying in a helicopter filled with marijuana.
“I would take off from a small unmanned airport and fly down a valley to a stream where I would meet an all-terrain vehicle… within a minute, the helicopter would be loaded,” he said.
Timothy was captured by police in Los Angeles while returning to the country after visiting his sick mother in Australia.
The boyfriend was sentenced for “trafficking marijuana across an international border” in 2006, but Timothy said he spent another “four or six months in immigration detention.”
Despite spending his days locked up with hardened criminals, his true punishment came when both his mother and younger brother, Dave, died while he was in prison.
During his appearance on A Current Affair, an emotional Timothy expressed his regret after being caught using a helicopter to smuggle marijuana.
An emotional Timothy said Dave called him during the beginning of his sentence and told him, “Don’t let anyone mess with you” and “I’ll be there when you get out,” but he wasn’t there.
Tragedy struck midway through Timothy’s sentence when his mother died of cancer and his brother took his own life just months later.
Timothy said he didn’t tell MAFS producers that he was a convicted drug dealer when he applied for the show.
The groom was paired with fan favorite Lucinda Light during his stint on MAFS this year, but they split after a disastrous visit to a family home in Melbourne.
The couple ended their marriage at the following commitment ceremony, and Timothy acknowledged his lackluster effort to the experts.
“I didn’t go to live in a family home with the best attitude,” she said at the time, before admitting that she found the deep emotional exploration “uncomfortable” and “overwhelming.”
Even though their romance didn’t work out, Timothy and Lucinda have maintained a close friendship since the cameras stopped rolling.
The former on-screen couple have been spotted on nights out together, while Lucinda recently gushed about how “glad” she is to have Timothy as a “dear friend.”
Timothy, who was paired with Lucinda Light (right), said he did not tell MAFS producers that he was a convicted drug smuggler when he applied for the show.