MAFS star Domenica Calarco debuts a new Audrey Hepburn-inspired pixie haircut while vacationing in Italy after a stay in a psychiatric institution

By Marta Jary for Daily Mail Australia

10:08 Jul 20, 2024, updated 10:22 Jul 20, 2024

Domenica Calarco has returned to public life and social media after revealing she was recently released from a psychiatric institution.

The Married At First Sight bride, who shaved off her hair in March as part of the World’s Greatest Shave charity campaign, has decided to embrace it.

The 31-year-old, who is on holiday in Italy, revealed on Friday that she has decided to get a pixie haircut inspired by Audrey Hepburn.

“I just got back from the beach and I decided I want to cut my hair shorter. I want to look like Aubrey Hepburn in Italy, in Roman Holiday,” she explains.

“So this could either turn out really bad or really good.”

She then documented the process of getting a new haircut at a barbershop in Calabria, in southwestern Italy.

“I was apprehensive about whether Bruno would complete the task, but he absolutely did! I am OBSESSED with my pixie cut,” Dom said afterwards.

“The Domenica of six months ago couldn’t have done this!” she added, calling the update part of her “growth.”

The update comes just days after Calarco revealed she is off antidepressants for the first time in 15 years.

She shared a video on Instagram of herself during her 21-day stay at a private mental health facility in New South Wales.

Dom has spoken openly about her mental health struggles in recent weeks after suffering a “severe depressive episode” and has detailed her medication changes.

In her latest video, Dom opened up about her ‘heavy’ drug use and how she stopped taking sertraline after feeling like the antidepressants weren’t working anymore.

Sertraline is an antidepressant that belongs to a group of medicines called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). These medicines increase the amount of serotonin in the brain.

Dom explained that her doctor wanted to wean her off sertraline for the first time in 15 years, with the goal of switching to a new antidepressant, which she has now started.

“So this is the reality of changing medications,” she said. “Last night we had a meeting with my doctor and we wanted to see if my old medication that I was on was actually working.

“I’ve been feeling like it’s not working for a while now, so I thought, I think we should move on to something new. So that’s what we’re doing.”

Domenica checked herself into a psychiatric institution after falling into depression following her time on MAFS.

Calarco reactivated her Instagram page last week and gave a detailed explanation of what she experienced in a video she made on the day she was discharged from the institution.

“It’s safe to say it’s been a while. I wanted to take this moment to have an honest and heartfelt conversation with all of you who have stuck by me through thick and thin,” she began.

‘As many of you know, I have been taking a break for the past month to focus on my mental health. This journey has been incredibly challenging, but also deeply transformative for me.

Dom said she needed time to “heal, reflect and understand herself better” and thanked her fans for their support during the difficult time.

The reality star explained that she had “fallen into a deep depression” over a month ago and “couldn’t see a way out.”

“I had a lot of trauma from my childhood that I didn’t process and I know that now. And then I went through a divorce in my 20s and then MAFS, which was an incredible experience in itself, but also quite traumatic,” she shared.

“I didn’t want to deal with my mental illness in that way. When I thought about it, I realized I was putting my happiness in the hands of others.”

Dom said she had “reached a point where I didn’t want to suffer anymore” and began her journey to happiness again with her stay in the psychiatric institution.

“I am responsible for my own happiness and it is time for me to start enjoying life again. Realizing that I am happy with the person I am becoming is a huge life changer,” she added.

Dom disappeared from the spotlight after criticism from Bachelor star and podcaster Abbie Chatfield.

The outrage came after she and MAFS colleague Ella Ding hosted controversial groom Jack Dunkley on their podcast, Sit With Us.

If you have been affected by this story, please call Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14 or visit their website lifeline.org.au.

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