My Mum, Your Dad’s Mel Gousteris made the shocking decision to leave the retreat during the November 21 episode, and now she has explained the real reason why.

ICYMI: Mel connected with Tim McCartney after the 55-year-old joined the fold in the later half of the season, and even though it looked as though she was opening up to him, she still chose to leave.

“I’ve made a connection with Tim,” the 56-year-old told host Kate Langbroek during the episode. “But it’s still hard for me. I’m ready to go home.”

Now, Mel has admitted that she may have stayed longer if Tim was an original parent.

“If Tim had been there a bit longer, it might have been a little bit different,” she admitted in an interview with So Dramatic! after her exit.

“But having a connection that quickly for me was just unrealistic…for me, it was just overwhelming.”

With the final decision and Blessing Ceremony just 48 hours away, Mel thought, “Oh, no, no, no, I can’t do this”.

“He was a really nice guy and everything,” she admitted. “I just felt like I wanted to see Sam [her son], and everything was just going through my head at that time.”

My Mum, Your Dad’s Sam Gousteris Supported His Mum’s Decision

As for 21-year-old Sam (who had nominated her for the retreat), he had watched on with the other kids from The Bunker.

In the same interview with So Dramatic!, the 21-year-old supported her decision.

“At the end of the day, I know my mum the best, and I know that it’s not true to her or to her heart that she would go into a Blessing Ceremony,” he said.

As for 21-year-old Sam (who had sent Mel on the retreat), he had watched on with the other kids from The Bunker. Source: Nine.

“[It’s] something that is uniting people and getting a blessing from two children for a connection that wasn’t even there yet.”

“She [Mel] persevered, and she was pushed to her limits so much for months, even to be there and to stay for 80 per cent of the duration of the show was a big deal.”

My Mum, Your Dad’s Mel Gousteris Walked Away With Way More Than a Relationship

Even though her relationship with Tim didn’t work out, Mel walked away with new-found confidence.

“I learned that I’m not the only one with a story,” Mel said. “Everyone else has a story too, and I felt like I wasn’t being judged.

“My ex-husband always used to tell me, ‘you’re just damaged goods now,’ so my self-esteem was so low that it was just nice to make friends because I never had friends.”

Even though her relationship with Tim didn’t work out, Mel walked away with new-found confidence. Source: Nine.

When asked if it was because of her marriage that Mel was never able to form strong bonds, she agreed.

“He was very controlling, so he would control who would be my friends and who weren’t my friends,” she said, before adding that being complimented was also difficult.

“When someone just makes you feel like sh*t all your life, and when other people tell you you look nice, you just don’t believe it because it’s been drummed in your brain that you’re not good enough.

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“So, you just believe what your husband says. The one person that you should be trusting all your life, he should be telling you the truth, that when he tells you that you’re not good enough, how are you going to believe somebody else?”

According to Sam, Mel had a major “glow-up” after Mel left his dad.

“I think it was the first time in her life when she actually started — after my push — doing things for herself… she lost, like, 20kg,” he said.

My Mum, Your Dad’s Mel Gousteris Made Life-Long Friends

Instead of a new male companion, Mel made some life-long friends.

“For me, it was making connections with people. I made a beautiful connection with Carole [Haddad] in Brisbane and Darren [Lucas]. I love Darren; he always rings me up to see how I am and also Kristy Woodruff.”

“I’ve made connections with people that I would never have met in a million years, and it’s really nice to have people that care about you.”

Instead of a new male companion, Mel made some life-long friends. Source: Nine.

Further, she reiterated how “safe” she felt throughout the process.

“Everyone! The production, the producers, the crew. They never made me feel unsafe in the house, and they never made me do things I didn’t want to do.”

Want even more goss? Listen to episode 230 of the So Dramatic! podcast with Megan Pustetto below!

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