Tammy Hembrow opens up about the severe emotional impact of her divorce from Matt Zukowski, including intense panic attacks that left her unable to handle everyday tasks.
Struggles with Panic Attacks Post-Split
The 32-year-old fitness influencer, mother of three, describes a dark period following the end of her seven-month marriage to former Love Island Australia contestant Matt Zukowski. The couple separated last June, though the relationship had ended privately earlier.
“I started having panic attacks,” Hembrow shares. “I’m glad to say I’m in a better place now.” She sought intensive therapy after the breakup overwhelmed her nervous system.
“I couldn’t even go to the grocery store without breaking down,” she explains. “Someone would say hello to me and I’d break down. It was crazy. I’ve never experienced anything like that.”
Backlash Over Rumored Romance
Hembrow addresses the public frenzy around her brief dates with AFL star Bailey Smith last August. “You go on a couple of dates with one person and all of a sudden I’m being called all these names. It’s just crazy to me,” she says.
“Bailey, he’s the sweetest guy. I have nothing bad to say about him.” She highlights a double standard: “A woman going on dates after being separated and then breaking up, it’s normal; for me, I get called every name — the trolls love to hate.”
“I feel like if men do the exact same thing no one says a word about it. Women are held to a different standard,” Hembrow adds.
Navigating Motherhood and Criticism
As a working mother sharing son Wolf and daughter Saskia with ex-partner Reece Hawkins, and daughter Posy with former Ironman Matt Poole, Hembrow faces constant scrutiny. Her 16 million Instagram followers often question her parenting based on her online presence.
“I want to pull back on that content sometimes, but if I pull back I’m accused of not being a present mum,” she notes. “Just because I don’t film myself making their lunches, helping them with their homework doesn’t mean it’s not happening.”
She rejects the idea of a ‘perfect’ life. “I’m growing, learning, living, making mistakes and starting again. I probably will make more mistakes, that’s life. Women are expected to be perfect — and nobody’s perfect.”
Upcoming TV Challenge and New Romance
Hembrow prepares for Channel Nine’s Shark! reality series, diving with sharks in the Bahamas alongside celebrities like Scott Cam, Ariarne Titmus, and Lynne McGranger. After weeks in open water, she jokes about industry dangers: “My experience… definitely within the industry. I’d much rather be out with sharks in the Bahamas.”
Recently, she confirmed a new relationship with 22-year-old Sydney model Grayson Te Moana.
