Married At First Sight bride bravely opens up on rape ordeal and reveals heartbreaking aftermath
A MARRIED At First Sight bride has bravely opened up about her terrifying rape ordeal.
Katie Johnstone has revealed the horrific sexual assault she endured and the heartbreaking aftermath she suffered.
Katie found fame earlier this year when she wed Tim Groomie on Married At First Sight Australia - but the pair split early on in the experiment.
The brave reality star has now opened up about her horrific rape ordeal that she suffered long before she was on the show.
Now 37, Katie was violently raped by a man she "trusted" when she was just about to turn 21.
Recalling her horrific ordeal to the , she said: "I completely froze.
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"I was pinned down. I couldn't move a muscle or say a word. I couldn't fight for myself. I thought I was strong – but I froze."
Continuing she said: "I had just launched my second remedial massage business. I had everything going for me, and then – in an instant – it was all gone.'
Too traumatised to leave her apartment for two weeks, she finally had to go to the hospital for a severe urinary tract infection caused by internal damage.
"The nurse said, 'It's just a UTI – it's not the end of the world.'
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"But I broke down and said, 'No – I think I've been raped.'" Katie said.
THE AFTERMATH
Despite the hospital visit, Katie never underwent a forensic rape kit, and also kept her ordeal a secret for over a year.
She told the Mail how a psychologist told her that pressing charges would "probably look like your fault" due to the lack of evidence.
"For a long time, I couldn't even use the word "rape." I just called it "the event" because it was too painful to say,' she said.
Katie eventually told her family, but by then the ordeal had taken a toll on her mental health and her confidence - especially her body image.
She revealed how she let herself "become bigger" so she would be "less desirable, and "not an easy target".
MAFS DISASTER
Meanwhile, Katie became famous when she appeared on MAFS Australia at the beginning of the year.
However, her marriage was over before it started.
Katie and her groom Tim struggled to get on following their nuptials, with Tim even flying back to Melbourne and refusing to move in with Katie after their honeymoon.
On the night of their wedding, Tim woke Katie up to say he didn't feel a spark.
He has also criticised her appearance, saying he preferred more "petite women" - with fans slamming him for "fat shamming".
Then, after attending the very first dinner party - separately - Tim was accused of "gaslighting" Katie into making her believe she was the problem, when she wasn't.
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The pair ultimately called time on their disastrous marriage not long after.
Katie later revealed how she was "really hurt" by Tim in the beginning, with it "clear that he didn't get what he wanted" and he then ran back to Melbourne.
