When former Love Island star-turned-podcaster Matt Zukowski got the call up to appear on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here, he knew instantly it was something he needed to do.
“Honestly, it came at literally the most perfect time in my personal life. It was bang on what I needed to heal and find a different version of myself,” Matt reveals to TV WEEK.
“I stripped myself back and my life back to essentially the bare minimum and to get off my phone, to get away from that world and just be around this beautiful bunch of people who were great for advice, helped me heal as well.”
Admittedly, when Matt was revealed as one of the late arrivals to camp alongside fellow reality star Cyrell Paule, a dark cloud of curiosity followed him. After all, the reality show was his first television appearance since his high-profile marriage to fellow influencer Tammy Hembrow ended, a reported seven months after tying the knot.
However, in the jungle, Matt revealed that their relationship really crumbled after “three months”, rather than the seven reported publicly.
Timeframes aside, their relationship and eventual split resulted in constant scrutiny from their followers and the media alike. But without the noise of social media, Matt says he was able to reconnect with himself.
“I learned that I want to be grateful and not take stuff for granted, and that I actually am quite resilient when I’m put in places where I’m scared or fearful, that I can overcome it and do what I need to do,” he explains proudly.
In the jungle, Matt says he felt comfortable opening up about the end of his marriage.
“I always wear my heart on my sleeve and I’m very honest at the best of time. I think they did make me feel comfortable to have that conversation,” he explained.
“I’ve got nothing to hide so I was like yeah, I’ll talk about anything.”
Since the show has been on air, there has been some tension brewing between the celebrities behind the scenes. According to Rebekah Elmaloglou and Cyrell Paule, the eliminations created a shift within the camp dynamics that have continued into the real world.
As far as Matt’s concerned, there’s no real drama between the cast.
“It’s so funny they say that,” Matt says.
“In the jungle, you’ve got nothing to stimulate you, so you’re overanalysing everything and you’re in your own head analysing everybody’s little reaction. I mean, I’ve spoken to Bek and Cyrell. I’m still close to both of them for sure.”
The Where’s Your Head At podcast host revealed that he is still very tight with the entire cast.
“I’ve spoken to everyone,” he shared. “I actually speak to Nath every day. I went out with a couple of the boys the other day. I’m getting dinner with a couple of them tonight.
“You make good friends — they’re almost family in a way.”
Most importantly, Matt feels thankful that the experience provided him with another opportunity to speak publicly about male infertility. Back in 2023, the 31-year-old opened up about his own experience with infertility. Since then, he says that he’s heard feedback from men experiencing the same issues thanking him for having the bravery to speak out.
“I wanted to bring awareness to my infertility and let people know they’re not alone out there,” Matt shares.
“When I first brought it up on my podcast, I had so many people reach out to me saying they’re so glad they’re not alone. Then, to have a platform on national television and to see the reactions, it’s very powerful.”
