When Melissa Lucarelli meets Woman’s Day, the Married at First Sight Australia contestant has already been in New Zealand for 72 hours, but she hasn’t seen a single sight.
“It’s such a beautiful country and it’s my first time here, but I’ve only really visited radio and TV stations,” she laughs. “But that’s OK – not everyone gets to have this kind of tour. I feel like a VIP!”
Feeling sorry for the Sydney-based talent agent, we whisk her away to Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour for a view of the Sky Tower. But for Melissa, 38, it’s the locals who are the real attraction. “Every single person I’ve spoken to is amazing,” she gushes. “You’ve got such great people here. I love New Zealanders.”
And after failing to find love with meditation guru Dino Hira on the hit Three reality series, Melissa – who hasn’t had sex in eight years – confesses she’s got her eye on some Kiwi talent. “I’ve seen some very good-looking guys, including some of your All Blacks … Yowser!”
Pretending to play Tinder as she flicks through some pictures of hot local hunks, she says, “I’d swipe right on Dan Carter.”
Of Mike McRoberts, she admits, “He’s not really my thing. I’m obsessed with being forever young and he’s a bit older.” So what about Max Key? “He looks like a child, but I’d still swipe right.”
However, it’s only when Melissa lays eyes on the blokes of The Bachelor NZ that she really lights up.
“You guys have such good Bachelors here! Zac [Franich] is a cutie. I love his smile, but I read he’s engaged, so let’s organise things with Jordan [Mauger]. It could work. Do you have his number?”
Watch: Melissa tells all. Story continues below.
Melissa confesses that she’s cried watching her dramas with Dino on MAFS. “I was upset for days,” she says.
“It’s hard to watch. It really frustrated me that he got away with so much. We didn’t connect on any level, but there was one point where I was like, ‘Should we just get drunk and have sex?’ I’m so glad that we didn’t.”
She’s also a little bit mortified at her on-screen appearance, groaning, “I looked like I had seven chins, I ate like an animal and I wish I had slapped on a bit of make-up every once in a while. I mean, it’s meant to be real, but I was a little too real!”
However, Melissa has no regrets about signing on for the show. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” she insists. “Even though I didn’t get a husband, I left with lifelong friends and the confidence to really be in a relationship. I married a stranger and made myself vulnerable on TV, so now I can do anything, like asking a guy out at a bar. I know I’ll get a new husband soon.”
So, what advice would she dish out to Dino’s next partner? “Look, the only person Dino wants to date is himself,” she smirks.
Hello, sailor! Melissa’s painting the City of Sails red with her sassy outfit and out-there attitude.
What about those rumours that he’s been romantically linked to fellow contestant Tamara Joy? “Please, what is he doing?!” Melissa laughs.
“Honestly, Dino’s only doing it for publicity. The only reason he went on MAFS was to grow his profile and promote the world’s most boring book about meditation. He’s always talking about finding himself and finding awareness, but he has zero awareness. Good luck with that, Tamara!”
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