Content Warning: This article touches on the topics of mental health issues, suicide, and cyberbullying, which may be triggering for some readers.
Mia Fevola’s time on I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here Australia was far from ordinary. From braving eating trials to leaping off cliffs and opening up about deeply personal experiences, she proved that courage comes in many forms.
Her I’m a Celebrity journey came to an end with a word-based game, but Mia Fevola was bested by Cyrell.
“I actually used to play Wordle all the time,” she laughs as we chat the day after her elimination episode. “I thought that might have come in handy, but unfortunately, I just missed it.”
In this candid chat, she reflects on the friendships she formed, the lessons she learned about herself, and how the jungle gave her the space to confront fears, open up about the online abuse she’s faced, and embrace her authentic self.
So, Mia Fevola, how are you feeling now that it’s been a bit of time since you were in the jungle? How did you find your journey in there?
Yeah, I feel really good about it. It’s been really amazing, I think, being able to sit back and relive the experience as well. I think there’s an element of this new format that I am really enjoying, being able to sit with my family and, you know, show them exactly what I went through and all the challenges I faced and talk them through all the behind-the-scenes. It’s been really nice to sit back and watch it all play out.
Your dad mentioned on the radio that you are keeping up with Nath and developed a nice friendship since your time in the jungle. Have you maintained relationships with other people in the cast as well?
Yeah, I absolutely adore everyone in the cast. I was so lucky with the group that I’ve got, and I think such a big part of this show is that it’s almost like a social experiment as well. You put so many different people from all different walks of life together, to live together and to see you know so many amazing friendships form throughout that experience, and you know you’re basically trauma-bonded from all the trials that you face. So, I’ve made some friends for life, that’s for sure.
There’s no taking away from that experience. I think there’s nothing that can change the past. We’ve all experienced that together. And I think that’s going to keep us connected for the rest of time.
So, what were you expecting before you went into the jungle? Obviously, your dad had gone through this before, so you had some kind of idea from him, but did it meet your expectations, or did it surprise you in any way?
There’s really no preparation for this type of experience. It’s so unique, and there was nothing that my dad could have really said to truly prepare me for some of, you know, the things that we did. And I think the show looks so go, go, go. That there’s always something happening. But the reality is that boredom is the biggest challenge in there.
You’re going days on end without leaving camp. That’s one thing that my dad tried to prepare me for. He said boredom is the most difficult part of this show.
I’m a bit of a lazy person anyway, so I was happy to sit around. But you do hope that you’re going into a trial to pass some time. In saying that, you find ways through connecting with people and telling stories to pass all that time. And I think that’s how you get so close and create such strong bonds, because all you have is each other in there.
It sounds like it creates the perfect environment for people to really open up, as you yourself spoke quite candidly about your father and the online abuse that you received, particularly from football fans. What was it about the jungle that made you feel safe to open up?
Look, going into this experience, I knew I wanted to be raw, be authentic, be myself, and I am naturally quite an open person. I am happy to share stories of my experiences, but it really did come down to the people I was with. They made me feel safe enough to open up about those things.
I am also a bit of an anxious person, so I know if I wasn’t comfortable, I wouldn’t have spoken so openly. So, it’s a credit to my campmates and the friendships that I developed with them, and how supportive they were throughout that experience, that allowed me to be so open.
And what has the response been to your appearance on the show? Have the trolls returned?
I actually have been shocked by the amount of support and positivity I’ve received. It’s not something that I’m used to. There’s always going to be people who don’t like you or don’t agree. And everyone experiences that. But it’s been overwhelmingly positive, and it’s been really, really lovely to have it be received so well and have people understand and accept and connect with the stories as well.
I think everyone has experienced, you know, bullying in some type of way, whether it’s online or in person, it doesn’t discriminate, and everyone has a story, or they know someone who has a story, and it allows people to connect with that. And I think that was something that I really wanted to shed some light on.
I think you absolutely did that; it’s not an easy thing to speak about. Would you have any advice for a young woman who’s dealing with online abuse?
Well, for me, I didn’t handle it well at the time. So, I don’t know if my advice is great, but lean on family, on a support network. It’s a difficult thing to navigate, and I really lost my voice for a long time. I allowed them to silence me. And I think as a society, we really are taught that silence is dignified, especially for women. It took me a while to fight back against that. I felt like people just thought I was going to be an attention seeker if I spoke about it. And, you know, some people always have those opinions, but I’ve really accepted that as long as I stay true to myself and I know my intentions are good, then what I’m doing is the right thing. I’m standing up for myself.
And I think you just have to trust yourself. For someone who’s going through that, it’s not easy. When you are feeling like you don’t have a voice, lean on the people around you. And then when you feel like you have the strength, that’s when it’s time to fight back.
Did your history of receiving online abuse and the death of your biological father influence your decision to choose RU OK Day as your charity?
Yeah, definitely. Lots of factors that play into it. And, you know, mental health is so broad. It’s such a big spectrum, and there are so many different layers to it. And my mental health definitely declined during that period of my life when the height of the bullying got quite out of hand. So I understand firsthand what it’s like to experience that, but then also receiving the direct impact of poor mental health and suicide by my biological dad, I understand it from both perspectives, and it’s something that is really important to me, and I really wanted to shed some light on.
So you’re a massive influencer online. You create a lot of content, for which you’ve received a lot of great responses and a lot of horrendous responses from quite a young age. What’s your opinion on the social media ban for under-16-year-olds?
I think that’s a great idea. And I also think that a big step in the right direction is for children to be protected. But I think the only way to really monitor the height of the trolling is if we somehow are linking accounts to mygov or something. There needs to be some sort of accountability for people who are putting out hate on a social media platform. And I think children are subjected to that younger and younger these days. So, to have an age restriction on social media is really important for their own sake.
Because you’ve grown up in the public eye and share your life online, do you think that there’s something that people misunderstand or have a preconceived notion of who you are?
It’s been one of the biggest things that I’ve received online is that people are saying they really misjudged me. And it’s funny, my mum has always said to me, people really don’t understand you. They, I think if you take a look at my social media, you probably think I’m overly confident and probably a bit full of myself to be honest. But I think what people don’t know about me is I’m actually very introverted and quite an anxious person, to be honest, and a lot more shy and reserved than you probably expect.
And I think that was shown on screen. I’ve been really surprised by how much people were actually able to learn about me and see a different side. And that’s the thing about this show: you can’t hide who you really are. It’s been really lovely for people to learn a different side of me and be able to show different perspectives and senses of humour and things that I wouldn’t usually put out on social media.
What’s your relationship to fame like?
I’ve grown up in the public eye, so I don’t really know any different, to be honest. It’s a funny thing, I think it’s probably caused me to become more reserved with what I show of myself as a whole. And I think that’s why I’m really grateful for this experience.
I was able to really be authentically me without the reservations and without the fear of judgment. I really just went into it wanting to show people who I really was. And it was an amazing opportunity that I will really never forget. I think it’s genuinely changed my life.
Gary Sweet admitted in your final episode that he underestimated you. A few other celebrities from your season have referred to Gary as the dad of the camp. Would you agree?
Absolutely. Gary was my neighbour, my next-door neighbour in the bed set up. We would laugh our heads off all the time. He reminded me, and I said this to him at the time, asking him not to take offence at this, as it’s not about the age, but you remind me so much of my granddad, and I was really, really close with him. I definitely felt like Gary was the top of the group for sure.
Do you think that there’s anything from your time that you learned about yourself that you’re going to bring into your “real life”?
Absolutely. It was such a self-growth journey. And, I learned a lot from Rachel, actually, so much. There was a lot of emphasis on mindfulness, gratitude, meditation and spirituality. We spoke a lot about that in camp, and that’s something that I’m definitely focusing on moving forward.
I found a lot of peace in camp and through the things that I’ve learned from each and every person in there. I think the experience as a whole really made me learn a lot more about myself and what I’m capable of and where my boundaries are.
So, I went into the experience wondering where my boundaries were, and I came out of it realising that I actually don’t have any! I pushed all of them, and nothing can stop me. That was the biggest takeaway was that I didn’t realise that once I put my mind to something, I really can achieve whatever life throws at me.
Exactly, you faced your fear of water, you leapt off a cliff, you ate all that horrendous food at the eating trials. So, what’s next for you? You’ve done Dancing with the Stars, another TV show or do you have something else in the works?
I’m considering going back and completing my honours and master’s in psychology. I just finished my degree, so I’d like to go all the way and become a registered psychologist. But right now, I don’t know where my life’s going to take me. I’m sort of just seeing where the wind blows me. I’m definitely on a self-development path right now.
After this experience, which was very eye-opening and taught me so much about myself, I want to keep exploring that. I’m just riding the wave at the moment.
Catch up on episodes of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Australian on 10Play.
For mental health support, contact Beyond Blue; Headspace; or call Lifeline on 13 11 14. Young people can also contact the Kids’ Helpline on 1800 55 1800. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can contact 13YARN on 13 92 76.
