She’s the outspoken reality TV star who shot to fame on Married At First Sight.
But since her memorable appearance on the Channel Nine dating show, the stress of everyday life has taken its toll on Clare Verrall.
Photos have surfaced of the dog rescue advocate looking rather different to her MAFS days, with Clare confirming to Daily Mail Australia she had gained 44kg.
Stress: Photos have surfaced of Married At First Sight’s Clare Verrall (pictured) looking rather different to her reality TV days, as she confirms to Daily Mail Australia her 44kg weight gain
‘I went from 70kg to 114kg,’ Clare exclusively revealed.
The photos show the Melbourne local displaying a fuller figure dressed in black jeans and a T-shirt while walking her dog.
But Clare clarified there were several reasons behind her weight gain, including her ongoing struggle with PTSD, which she has spoken about in the past.
‘My body went into fight or flight mode,’ Clare confessed.
She added: ‘It was also due to my back injury, stress, inability to exercise and poor food choices.’
‘My body went into fight or flight mode’: Clare clarified there were several reasons behind her weight gain, including her ongoing struggle with PTSD, which she has spoken about in the past
However, the TV personality, who made headlines when she was matched with Jono Pitman on MAFS, said she is determined to get back into shape.
‘I have been doing a low-calorie diet (500 calories a day) plus walking after a second back surgery last year,’ she said.
‘I’m now at 99kg. My normal weight is 68kg.’
Before: Clare, a former contestant on Married At First Sight, is pictured before her weight gain
Clare has spoken candidly about the harrowing experience that led to her living with post-traumatic stress disorder.
In April 2015, she was walking her dog Dutchy near her home in Prahran, Melbourne, when a man jumped out and attacked her.
Clare was left with a black eye, a broken nose and a broken toe, but was able to knee her attacker in the groin and kick him before she fled.
‘I was walking my dog about two streets down from where I live, and it’s on the way to the dog park I go to every day,’ Clare told Daily Mail Australia after the incident.
‘A guy came up, grabbed me, punched me in the face, broke my nose’: Clare has spoken about the harrowing experience that led to her living with post-traumatic stress disorder
Speaking to AAP in 2016, Clare said the effects of the attack still linger.
‘I still have a little PTSD from that, so having people having scream at me still makes me incredibly anxious,’ Clare said.
‘A guy came up, grabbed me, punched me in the face, broke my nose, then I kicked him in the nuts really hard and kicked him in the kidneys so hard and he ran off… they didn’t catch him.’
Weight loss journey: The TV personality, who made headlines when she was matched with Jono Pitman on MAFS, told Daily Mail Australia she is determined to get back into shape