MAFS besties turned rivals Domenica Calarco and Ella Ding have reunited for the first time in two years after the fall-out over their shared podcast.
The pair, who first became close while appearing on MAFS Season 9, reunited on Ella’s The Ella Era podcast. It marks the first time they’ve spoken publicly together since their friendship ended in the wake of the backlash surrounding their 2024 interview with controversial groom Jack Dunkley.
Reflecting on their time apart, Ella admitted losing her best friend left her life feeling “quiet” after years of speaking every day.
Dom echoed the sentiment, saying the absence of someone she’d spoken to from the moment she woke up until she went to sleep was incredibly difficult to navigate.
“When you’re in your 20s and 30s and losing a friend, it’s literally worse than a break-up with a man,” she said.
Dom and Ella reflect on the Jack Dunkley interview
Looking back on the interview that sparked the controversy, both women said they don’t regret sitting down with Jack, but acknowledged they would approach the conversation differently if given another chance.
Dom revealed the backlash had devastating professional consequences, claiming sponsorships were withdrawn, they lost around $250,000 in income and their Sit With Us podcast came to an abrupt end.
“People saw this as internet drama, but at the end of the day behind that were two women figuring it out,” she said.
Dom says she suffered a nervous breakdown
Away from the public scrutiny, Dom explained she was also dealing with significant personal challenges, including a painful relationship breakdown and later checking herself into a mental health facility.
“Dealing with that, then dealing with a f**king literal nervous breakdown, the breakdown of our friendship, the breakdown of a career, I actually don’t know how I survived it and got through,” she said.
Becoming mums together was ‘taken away from us’
The pair also reflected on missing out on experiencing pregnancy and early motherhood together. Dom said she mourned the fact that sharing that milestone had been “taken away from us”, after she and Ella welcomed their daughters, Dove and Pia, just three months apart.
Despite the heartbreak, Dom believes everything happened for a reason.
“It’s so sad, but it’s also so beautiful,” Dom said. “If that didn’t happen, I don’t think we’d be where we are, and I think we are right where we need to be.”
Reflecting on their reconciliation, Dom described reconnecting with Ella as “one of the greatest things other than the birth of my daughter”, signalling a new chapter in their friendship after one of the most difficult periods of both their lives.
Fans won’t have to wait long to hear more, with the pair teasing they’ll delve deeper into learning about each other’s pregnancies and how they ultimately reconnected in part two of the podcast, which drops on Thursday.
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