MAFS Australia's Bec Zacharia has described herself as someone who's “never shy of being the centre of attention” – and she's certainly proved that to be true with her appearance in the latest series of the dating show. Ever since she was matched with Danny by the Married At First Sight experts, the 35-year-old account manager has become a key character in this year's lineup, from the way she's navigated relationship drama to bust ups with other brides.
Now, attention is turning towards her personal life, too – specifically, the cosmetic treatments she's previously undergone. Following viewers' speculation about her appearance, Zacharia has addressed the rumours head on and opened up about the chin surgery she had when she was 21.
“I was actually born with a jaw, sort of a chin defect,” she said. ‘Everyone makes comments about why my mouth is like this or what’s wrong with my jaw." The surgery, she revealed, was actually carried out by her uncle, Dr Michael Zacharia, a Sydney-based cosmetic surgeon whose clients reportedly include “elite socialites and housewives”. In a recent interview, Zacharia explained that “Michael is my uncle. He's my father's brother. We've got a very, very close family. I see him and speak to him and his daughters and his son all the time.”
Although we don't know any more specific details about what kind of jaw surgery Zacharia had, this kind of procedure typically has a recovery time of up to 12 weeks. And, for the MAFS star, it was totally worth it, completely transforming the way she felt about her appearance. Before the surgery, Zacharia says, her chin made her so insecure she'd avoid certain hairstyles that might draw more attention to it. “I was essentially born with no chin. It was a huge insecurity for me every day of my life for 20 years,” she said. “It was rare that you would see me with my hair up, because I hated my jaw and my chin so much.”
Now, thanks to her uncle, her confidence has skyrocketed. And while she's aware that people still make comments about her chin area, Zacharia doesn't regret a thing. “Without him doing that for me, I looked a lot different. I’m so happy that I’ve got this sort of jaw and chin now that he’s done for me, because before that it was really bad,” she said. “I know people make really negative comments about my mouth and my jaw, but actually it was a life-changing moment for me – and that’s all thanks to Uncle Michael.”
Could more treatments from good ol' Uncle Mike be on the cards? “When the time comes, I’ll be going to him," she said, before revealing what's next on her cosmetic wish list. "I really want my nose done, but he says I’m not allowed to.”
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This insight into Zacharia's off-screen world comes amidst an explosive thirteenth season of MAFS Australia, where she's frequently been at the centre of drama. Perhaps the biggest row was a feud between her and fellow bride Rachel, whose previously friendly relationship was fractured during the retreat portion of the show.
It all kicked off when Zacharia decided to celebrate their first evening at the retreat with a toast. "Guys, I wanted to just call us here tonight because it’s the first night of the retreat and we’ve had 'I love yous' and we’ve had a couple that I thought could not come back from the brink of hell bounce back. And we've had ********," she said. And although the last part was bleeped out on British TV, its since been revealed that she was referring to a private sex act between Rachel and her partner Steven, which she'd told the girls about in confidence. Suffice to say, Rachel was not happy: “She turned something that Steven and I were so excited about, telling others about where we're at, into a joke.” Good job the show's not called Best Friends At First Sight, eh?
With not long to go until the couples say final vows, only time will tell whether Zacharia has time to cook up more drama before the series comes to a close. Oh, and let's not forget the reunion episodes – if the headlines from Down Under are anything to go by, they're set to be explosive.
