Since filming Married at First Sight, Thomas Kriaras has undergone a huge body, and mind, transformation, something he credits the show, and his on-screen bride Rozz Darlington with helping him achieve.
And while Thomas and Rozz may have split in the final weeks of the show, Thomas has told OK! that he will always be "grateful" to her for letting him be himself and for helping him achieve his goals.
Opening up to OK!, Thomas has reflected on how the show, and his relationship, have had a positive impact on his life and wellbeing and how he feels more like himself now than he has for much of his adult life.
"I think there's a massive dichotomy between what I looked like at the beginning of the process or before the process, and what I look like now," Thomas began. "And it is 100%, I'lll give credit where it's due, because of Rozz.
"Because she just let me be me. And every single relationship that I've had in the past, there was always I'd always was left a little bit more broken, a little bit more broken.
"My last relationship was which was incredibly toxic, which left me completely devastated not because I was so besotted with the girl, but because she just completely broke my soul, and she caged me essentially.
"But Rozz came along and took the key and unlocked the cage, just letting me be free and I'll always be really grateful to her for that."
And reflecting on his transformation process, which began while on the show, Thomas told us: "I think the way I perceived myself, especially before I met Roz was how I look and feel now. So there was this complete difference in how I actually was versus how I had this cognitive dissonance, which is really bad.
"And it took from Ross just like nudging me in the right direction and encouraging me to be a bit more open and honest, and telling me I shouldn't be so closed off.
"And you can see the change as the process went on, I even start looking more tan, and it's like the tanner I got the happier I was too."
He continued: "[The show] really gave me the momentum which has allowed me to really just come into myself a lot more."
Sharing how his transformation has continued after the show, Thomas revealed that while there's not much change to go to the gym while filming, he's been in there every day since.
"Whilst it's in the show, it's very difficult to go to the gym. It's very difficult because you're so stressed and you're so busy.
"I used to go to the gym a lot, and when I was young I was very athletic, I played for a rugby club and I did track meets for sprinting. But I just kind of lost it, and it was only in the last few years that I got it back but then then leading up to MAFS I lost it again, I was just sort of in this pit of despair.
"So when leaving the process I had this momentum and motivation behind me, and was just at the gym every single day, and I've been running almost every single day – and I'm almost back at my peak again.
And looking back on his time on his show, Thomas says that he'd go back and do it all again, despite it perhaps not ending quite as he'd hoped.
He said: "If I could do back knowing how everything turned out and they said 'do you want to do this process?' I'd say yes 100%
"It's just given me so much and I'm so grateful for it. Without MAFS I'd still be the unhappy, stifled, pale boy I was now, but now I feel like I'm coming into myself.
"I feel like I did as a teenager now, and I'm so grateful because this experience has given that back to me."
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