‘I THOUGHT GOING TO DIE’ I WAS GOING TO DIE’
The former ‘MAFS’ star reveals her downward spiral after the show
Undoubtedly one of the biggest names to come out of this year’s season of Married At First Sight, Ines Basic received nationwide criticism for her sordid affair with co-star Sam Ball – while they were ‘married’ to other people. Opening up to WHO, the reality star shares the toll the experience had on her. “When I watched the edit, I was honestly mentally traumatised from what I saw,” Ines tells WHO. “I couldn’t believe it. It was literally sickening. None of my scenes were the truth [about] anything that actually happened.”
Now, Ines reveals how bad things got as she struggled to cope with the events portrayed on-air. “I was prescribed Valium after the main filming and was in therapy. I was struggling with the whole Sam thing and how foul I was treated during filming,” she says. “My producer worked me until I didn’t know who I was anymore, [and] I almost got assaulted on set on multiple occasions.”
An Endemol Shine spokesperson said, “The participants’ wellbeing and safety is always our first priority and at no time during filming did anyone express concern for their safety. Participants are provided with psychological support throughout filming and the offer of support remains throughout broadcast and beyond.”
Ines also sets the record straight, saying she and Sam hatched a ‘plan’ to continue their relationship off-air, unbeknownst to the producers. “Sam told me to get on that couch at the last commitment ceremony and he would say he couldn’t promise me a future – so it looked like a valid reason to leave,” Ines says. “He told me to do all this because he wanted to make it work out in real life on our terms and
we’d move in together.”
Sam, however, tells WHO, “I don’t believe there is any truth to [these claims].”
Ines also says she didn’t hear from Sam after getting a new phone when filming wrapped. “I saw him four weeks after main filming when we were booked for a shoot together [but] we didn’t talk much. Then I saw him one last time months later at the reunion dinner party.”
During this time, “I was on heavy medication,” Ines says, insisting she “can’t remember” being at the reunion because of the prescription drugs. “I was over-medicating, if anything – it’s how I knew I had to stop using Valium and really heal,” she tells WHO. “It’s
approaching two-and-a-half months since I’ve been off medication and I won’t be going back that way again. I was honestly so scared I would die if I lost another kilo. I’m almost back at the same weight I was prior to going on the show – but it was scary.”
Now, Ines says she’s had a lot of personal growth and is “glad to be moving forward … I’ve started reflecting back a lot since the whole MAFS journey started and I can’t believe how much I endured.”
As for her love-life, Ines reveals she’s still single. “I’m getting too old for flings and having my time wasted so I just don’t bother,” she says. “Guys don’t want to settle because they have too many options on their phone.
[Laughs] That’s my theory anyway.”
But is she open to love? “The next guy
I date will hopefully be the father of my children, and that’s a huge responsibility, so I can be patient [because] I need to see at least the next five years with him,” she says. “If not a husband, at least someone I can travel and have fun with.”
In the meantime, Ines says she’s got a lot of good things to look forward to after a rough year. “I’ve been fortunate enough not to have to go back to a nine-to-five,” Ines says. “I’m currently working on growing my Instagram influencer status so we will see where that takes me. I have a lot of really cool things in the works.”
If you or someone you know needs support, help is available from Lifeline on 13 11 14.
“I knew I had to stop using Valium and really heal” —Ines