You already know the ‘Married At First Sight’ bride Alyssa Barmonde’s famous one-liner. Need a reminder? Okay, she’s the one who couldn't stop saying "I have a child" during her time on the show.
Ah yes, it became her iconic catchphrase, and now she's even turned it into merch.
But hold up, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for Alyssa. The poor girl got trolled left and right for using her single-mum status as an excuse in her not-so-great relationship with her on-screen hubby Duncan James.
For more MAFS bombshells, check out our chat with MAFS expert John Atkins here:
Fans were quick to criticize her, claiming she was hiding behind motherhood.
Now, Alyssa is clapping back at all the haters. In an interview with Yahoo! Lifestyle, she set the record straight on why she said her iconic line so many times.
She never intended to make single mums look crazy. She knows firsthand how tough it is to juggle all the responsibilities of being a mother.
“I never in a trillion years wanted single mums to look crazy. Mums are more than mums. They juggle life, kids, work, friendships, a household — the list goes on and on,” she said.
She wanted to show that mums are so much more than just mums, and she wanted to prioritize her child while finding love for herself.
“There’s such sh*tty stigma attached and I walked away from filming knowing, if anything, that I would do single mamas proud by sticking true to myself, finding love for me again, knowing what’s best for me and my son and putting my child first.”
She added: “But it got so manipulated and twisted, it’s actually disgusting how it was portrayed.”
Since the cameras stopped rolling, Alyssa's fellow ‘MAFS’ cast members have rallied behind her on their Instagram Stories begging fans to cut her some slack.
Bronte Schofield went all out defending Alyssa, saying it breaks her heart to see people judging her based on an edit she had no control over.
“IT BREAKS MY HEART THAT PEOPLE HAVE JUMPED ON THE BANDWAGON TO JUDGE A WOMAN WHO PUT HER HEART ON THE LINE TO FIND LOVE IN THE MOST CATASTROPHIC AND CONTROVERSIAL WAY.”
Let's give Alyssa a break and remember that she's a big-hearted, beautiful woman who put herself out there to find love. And hey, if she wants to rock her catchy slogan on a t-shirt, who are we to stop her? You do you, Alyssa!
