Married At First Sight's Michael Brunelli has gone from loveable groom to adoring dad with partner Martha Kalifatidis
But he admits somewhere along the way, he "lost himself".
The Season 6 stars, who met and fell in love during their time on the hit dating series, and are now parents to two-year-old son, Lucius.
In a raw post on Instagram, Michael explained how much he loves being a father. Only he's realised now, he's "stopped being much else".
"As cliché as it sounds, I looked in the mirror today and barely recognised the guy looking back," he began.
"Not because there's anything seriously wrong with me, but I finally accepted that I'm not where I should be… physically and mentally."
Michael explained: "My gym bag has dust on it, the veggies in the fridge are untouched, and the steps haven't cracked 10,000 in months. It's like I'm physically here, but in a thousand other places mentally."
But the one constant in Michael's life is being a dad, which he wanted to make clear, he absolutely loves.
"It's a massive part of my purpose," he shared. "But somewhere in the life noise, the pressure, the lack of sleep, the negative thoughts… I stopped being much else."
Looking back through old photos in his camera roll, Michael said he saw a "clear, focused and driven guy".
"I miss that version of me," he confessed. "Not for how I looked, but for how I felt."
Michael said his post was "a wakeup call" to himself, to get back into it so one day he'll start feeling like his true self.
"To start living healthier again. To find my passion again. To keep moving forward again. Because Looch and Martha deserves the best of me, and so do I," he continued.
He was hoping his post would inspire others too.
"If you've felt this too, welcome to the damn club!" Michael added.
"Whether you've got kids or not, it's so easy to lose yourself when life doesn't give you a second to stop and think. Just know it's never too late to make a change."
And it seems Michael got to his followers, with many revealing they could relate.
"I feel this on a daily basis. Totally understand my man. Make sure you give yourself credit for all the things you do do also!" wrote MAFS groom and dad Jack Millar.
"👏👏 you've also described every postpartum mum!!" one fan commented. "You've written this so well ❤️❤️ we all become a stranger to ourselves after becoming a parent, but it is the most rewarding and wonderful job in the world watching our babies grow ☺️."
Martha's mum Mary lightened the mood with her cheeky reply: "Well said Mike. Oh ah I think I threw your gym bag out 😂."
While fiancée Martha added: "You do the most, still the hottest dad bod getting round."
Martha and Michael's journey
Martha and Michael first met when they married at first sight in 2018 with the nuptial airing to the nation in 2019.
After successfully making their way out the other side of the experiment, Michael moved to Bondi to be with Martha and the couple lived there for the early years of their relationship.
They've showed fans every side of their lives on social media including the moment Michael proposed in December 2021.
By August 2022, they announced they were expecting their first child together and in February 2023 they became parents to their son Lucius.
