By Brendan Rees
A Narre Warren international model says he hasn’t given up his search for love after his starring reality TV role.
Matt Zukowski, 24, tried his luck with romance on Channel Nine’s dating reality series, Love Island Australia, which aired in November.
After casting for the role, which he says he had “nothing to lose,” he was soon joined by a group of young singles who converged on a luxury villa in Fiji in the hope of finding a partner.
“I was genuine about trying to find someone,” he explained.
Matt, who spent the whole six weeks on the island and crowned runner-up, says his “roller coaster journey” saw him coupled with Vanessa Sierra “pretty heavily” but their relationship took a turn.
“She got accused of being fake by people who were coming in like the intruders,” he says.
“We had like real arguments all the time. She ended up being dumped by three of the guys I was close with.
“I was single and then like five new girls came in; none of them liked me.
“It was pretty full on.”
Matt, who has walked the catwalks of Milan and London and is also a pro wrestler, described the paradise island like being in a “bubble”.
“We had no sense of time,” he says. “You’re constantly on edge about what’s going to happen next.”
Matt later coupled with Cartier Surjan, 19, but their lives were “a lot different” after filming and they called time on their relationship.
“I don’t have hard feelings against her for it or anything,” he says.
But Matt contends he had no regrets being on the series: “I was myself the whole time; I think I was transparent and showed who I was.”
Meanwhile, Matt says he’s excited about his next biggest wrestling gig at the State Basketball Centre in Wantirna South in March.
