“Amy, at that point, was the catalyst for change.”

Mike Dawes entered Stranded on Honeymoon Island as one of the season’s most controversial contestants, after his on-screen wife Amy Dickson accused him of being “misogynistic”. But by Episode 9, he made a selfless move — choosing to walk away from the experiment to give Amy a second chance at love.

Mike told Chattr that while he didn’t find his person on the reality TV show, he did learn a lot of home truths about himself, which helped him grow.

“My biggest flaw when I look back [to when the show was filmed], is that I’ve met some amazing women [in the past] who I probably should have wifed up, and I always just used to find faults, like something’s not right, or something’s not there, and it’s a bad habit get into,” he explained.

“When I was with Amy — if I had the option, I would have left day one when I just realised this is not someone I’d go for. But, being forced into a situation where you dramatically have to self-evaluate to be able to coincide with somebody. That is the key thing that I took from that whole situation. Because I’m not always right.”

Mike pointed out the flaws that he recognised in himself after spending time with Amy on the remote island and said that he’s found love since making an effort to improve them.

“I can be picky and stubborn and whatnot, and my way is not always the right way. So you have got to soften yourself sometimes to be able to open your heart up for someone. That sounds so fucking cheesy.

“But, that’s how I felt. And honestly, Amy, at that point, was the catalyst for change, to turn into the man that I always knew that I wanted to be, and since then, I’ve found the perfect partner.”
Mike and Amy on Stranded on Honeymoon Island. Image: Seven.

Mike is in a new relationship after filming Stranded on Honeymoon Island

Stranded on Honeymoon Island was filmed back in 2023, and any relationships that the contestants have gotten in post-show they’ve had to keep under wraps, to avoid spoiling the ending.

Now that Mike’s departure from the show has aired, he can share that he’s been in a new relationship for the past three months.

He told Chattr that his girlfriend is a private person, so he didn’t want to share her name, but confirmed that they are happily in love.

“I’ve never had a woman that has put me in my place so softly, and makes me want to be a better man every day,” he said.

“Every single time we see each other, we have a childhood-like banter and that childhood-like love, but it comes with a very big spiritual side, because she’s like, she does a lot of energy work.

“I reckon I’ve really come into my own lately — I’m more driven and motivated across the board: work, relationships, friends, family, all of it. Over the past three months, I’ve probably been the most focused I’ve ever been in my life.”

Stranded On Honeymoon Island airs Tuesdays at 8:30pm on Channel 7 and 7Plus.