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Katie Johnston only appeared in a handful of Married at First Sight episodes this year — but her charm, vulnerability and bubbly personality made a huge impact on viewers.

The Queensland CEO was matched with school teacher, Tim Gromie, but the two were over before they even began.

Their troubles started with Tim making cruel comments to the camera about Katie on their wedding day about preferring “petite” women. Tim then became distant on their wedding night and the couple barely spent any time together on their honeymoon.

By the time the first MAFS commitment ceremony came, Katie and Tim became the first contestants to exit the experiment.

It’s been six months since MAFS aired, and we caught up with Katie to find out how she looks back at her experience now.

“I choose to take the lessons from that and use it as resilience training. But it sucks, because I really thought this was the opportunity to get to know somebody and learn more about myself — both things were robbed of me,” she told Mamamia.

Katie said she understood why she was matched with someone like Tim. “He seemed like he could be a really good thing for me. But then it very quickly deteriorated, with these little sarcastic things he was doing and the micro rejections,” she continued.

When asked whether she’d do MAFS again — following in the footsteps of two-time contestants Lizzie Sobinoff or John Robertson — Katie wasn’t sure.

“That’s a hard one, because I’ve seen a lot of sh*t go down during the filming, and a lot of crazy stuff. I don’t know if I would want to put myself into an environment that can be so intense,” she said.

“I don’t think it would be a very healthy environment to do a second time. I think it was a bullet dodged.”

Image: Nine.

Katie has had zero contact with Tim since they parted ways on MAFS.

“I still don’t have his number. I didn’t get it during our experience, we only spent probably two days together, and most of that was on camera.”

Katie claims that Tim slept for a lot of their time together and shared one moment that didn’t make their wedding episode when Tim said a nasty comment about being approached to do MAFS.

“He said, ‘I can’t believe they approached me for someone like you.’ And then he quickly said, ‘I didn’t mean it like that’. It’s just like, what did you mean?” she recalled.

 

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One consequence from MAFS is that Katie has found it harder to date now.

“I still don’t know what to do with dating,” she shared.

“It’s made it hard for potential people who want to get to know me, because they potentially get dragged into the spotlight.”

As for her future plans, Katie has an exciting idea.

“I’m trying to hit up The Bachelorette to give me a chance to date 20 men at one time,” she joked.

More seriously, Katie disclosed that she is looking into adopting a child in the coming years, which will likely put her dating life on hold.

“There’s an adoption process with a two-year application. Between when you apply and when you get considered, nothing can change. If you meet somebody, you start from scratch again,” Katie tearfully told Mamamia.

“I get emotional every time I talk about it because I really want to do it with someone, but I haven’t been able to find them. I just need to close that chapter and focus on building my own financial independence again,” she continued.

“Then on my application, I’ll show that I’m creating a really stable, healthy environment to bring some kiddos into. That’s my focus: rebuilding my life and creating a stable space for building my future family — probably on my own.”

 

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Along with starting the adoption process, Katie has been on a health journey these past few months.

“I was on the show very briefly, obviously, and I didn’t like what I saw. I’d had a lot of trauma and a lot of stress and fighting a lot of wars with my life in general… I could see my body was matching my mental health, which was not the best,” she said.

Of course, Tim’s comments about Katie’s appearance only exacerbated how she was feeling.

“It’s definitely a combination of things. I think Tim’s comments were a reflection of the dating troubles that I’ve had for the last 10 years, and also an echo of my ex’s voice. He ultimately traded me in for a skinny blonde person — I think it was just an echo chamber of criticism that I’ve heard many times before. And I was just like, ‘I can’t believe this is happening to me’,” Katie recalled.

“Not again. Especially so publicly, this is the worst-case scenario.”

Katie decided she wanted to make some changes. “You know what? This is enough. I’ve spent way too long punishing myself, way too long self-sabotaging myself. I’m definitely done with pricks telling me that I’m not good enough for them just based on what I look like.

“I’m gonna flip this script. I’m gonna focus on being like my healthiest version in all aspects of my life and only for myself — I’m no longer doing anything for validation from others,” she said.

Katie worked with a nutritionist, personal trainer, hypnotist and a doctor to prescribe weight-loss medication.

 

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As MAFS was airing, Katie found herself the subject of controversy after reports surfaced that the company Wild The Lifestyle Co Pty, which was directed by Johnston, owed more than $150,000 in unpaid superannuation to its staff.

“My business at the time, I had to close it and liquidate because of COVID, and we just got behind in paying. We were paying everything, all the bills, but I was like, I’m just gonna put super on hold, because once we’re back on track, I can knock that over pretty fast,” she said.

“But COVID just kept happening, and lockdown kept happening and everything just kept going. The superannuation debt never leaves you, so if you liquidate, it doesn’t just disappear.

“I paid it off probably about six months ago now, a year and a half early, earlier than the end of my payment plan — so that’s all settled.”

As far as her fellow MAFS cast, she has a complicated relationship with the engaged couple, Jacqui Burfoot and Clint Rice.

“I’m on speaking terms with everyone, except that one [Tim] and Jacqui and Clint. They accused me of stealing when, as I told you, I didn’t and I paid it back eventually anyway. For somebody who’s a lawyer, I think her comments are really derogatory, very uneducated and quite stupid,” she said.

“I lost a lot of respect for both of them when they kind of came out with their very stupid, uneducated and nasty comments.”

But aside from a petty feud, Katie has immense gratitude to the Australian public for embracing her during her tumultuous time on reality TV.

“It’s very lovely, validating and supporting. I feel bad saying it, but as much as their beautiful, kind words mean so much — and helped me get through that dark time — I’m still frustrated that I didn’t get matched with somebody who would reciprocate love back. I thought I was getting cast to be the love story.”

 

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In a message to the 2026 contestants, Katie issued a warning.

“Brides and grooms, brace yourself. Brace yourself for the most unexpected edit you can ever imagine,” she said.

“Even for me, one of my voice-over things where I said, ‘I’ve been rejected so many times.’ I said that in a way that was like, ‘I don’t give a f*ck what people think about me!’, whereas they changed my voice to make me sound super whiney.”

Katie wants there to be changes applied to Australian reality TV regulations. She hopes to replicate similar guidelines in the UK, where media regulator, Ofcom, has enforced a duty of care over the welfare, wellbeing and dignity of reality TV participants.

“I really want to get the UK law introduced into Australia. I’ve been talking to some MPs. This would be best-case scenario for everyone because ‘villains’ couldn’t push back and say, ‘It didn’t happen that way’. They’re obliged to reflect reality,” Katie said.

“In Australia, when you sign that contract, you sign over the storyline that they want to create.”

Feature image: Nine/Instagram/@itswildbykatie.