Adelaide socialite Bec Zacharia reveals 27kg weight loss ahead of Married At First Sight debut after a lifetime of self-loathing: 'I'm ready to be loved'

Rebecca 'Bec' Zacharia has spent most of her life battling a cruel inner voice.

But after what she calls a transformative year, the Adelaide-based account manager is walking into the upcoming season of Married At First Sight with something she never truly had before - confidence.

The 35-year-old says she once viewed herself through a brutally negative lens, admitting: 'I hated myself for my whole life, I thought that I was ugly'.

Bec claims that mindset shaped everything from how she dated to how she carried herself, with self-doubt becoming a constant background noise.

That all began to shift after she decided she was done living in self-loathing and committed to rebuilding her self-esteem from the inside out.

In the past year, Bec has lost 27kg and embraced a new lifestyle that included keto before she pivoted into Pilates and weight training.

She says the physical change was only part of it - what mattered more was learning to appreciate herself enough to believe love could be possible.

'I've worked really hard, I was keto and then I got into pilates and weight training and I transformed myself and I thought 'if I love myself then why can't someone else?',' she told Adelaide Now.

Bec will make her debut when the thirteenth season, which kicks off on Channel Nine on February 2.

Daily Mail was the first to reveal that the Adelaide-based socialite was joining the 2026 series back in July. She will be paired with Melbourne groom Danny Hewitt.

While she's presenting as strong and self-assured, Bec admits handing her romantic future to the experts is confronting, especially knowing every moment will be dissected by viewers at home.

She says she's bracing for backlash as well as support, and hopes she can do her family proud while representing South Australia on the national stage.

Bec also speaks candidly about her relationship past, including a previous engagement that ended just months before the wedding.

She describes it as a painful but necessary decision, saying she couldn't ignore the fact her feelings weren't there, even though her ex showed her what it meant to be loved.

'I'm worthy,' she declared.

And if Bec's self-love storyline sounds like a calmer, softer entry point into the season - insiders warn MAFS 2026 is anything but.

Daily Mail has revealed Channel Nine and producers have been grappling with a cast so volatile that strict new measures were introduced during filming, including tighter curfews and weekly drug tests, with anyone who returned a positive result immediately removed from the experiment.

Behind the scenes, sources say dinner parties have descended into screaming matches and walkouts, friendships have imploded, and producers were even forced to screen a private montage of participants' worst moments in an attempt to rein in the chaos.

Relationship expert John Aiken has also hinted the season's drama is being fuelled by a dominant group of outspoken women whose confrontational style left even seasoned cast members shocked, with the power dynamic flipping the usual villain narrative.

The new line-up includes brides Alissa Fay, Gia Fleur, Mel Akbayir, Julia Vogl, Rebecca Zukowski, Rachel Gilmore, Brook Crompton and Stella Mickunaite, alongside grooms Chris Nield, Luke Fourniotis, Scott McCristal, Danny Hewitt, Grayson McIvor, David Momoh, Steve Powell, Steven Danyluk and Filip Gregov.

Married At First Sight returns Monday at 7.30pm on Channel Nine.