Former Married At First Sight star Martha Kalifatidis has revealed her least favourite thing about being famous is ‘getting papped’ in public.
The social media influencer, 32, told the Shameless podcast that living in Bondi Beach – Sydney’s paparazzi hotspot – means she’s always looking over her shoulder.
However, her attitude is a rather perplexing given that major Hollywood stars such as Hugh Jackman have been able to cultivate a friendly and professional relationship with photographers in Bondi over the years.
It’s a hard knock life: Former Married At First Sight star Martha Kalifatidis (left, with boyfriend Michael Brunelli) says her least favourite thing about being famous is ‘getting papped’ in public
‘I hate being papped more than anything’ said Martha.
She said her rent in North Bondi is ‘astronomical’ but she and her boyfriend, Michael Brunelli, 30, choose to live there because it’s ‘close to the beach’.
However, she apparently can’t enjoy the beachside suburb to its fullest because of the photographers staking out the place.
‘And do you want to know how many times I’ve actually swam in the beach? Because there are paps there, a very limited amount of times,’ she said.
Home, sweet home? The social media influencer, 32, told the Shameless podcast that living in Bondi Beach – Sydney’s paparazzi hotspot – means she’s always looking over her shoulder
The former makeup artist even claimed she can’t ‘just go out to the store’ anymore.
When she goes out to restaurants, Martha also tries to sit like she’s ‘posing’ because sitting in a casual manner isn’t conducive to flattering paparazzi photos.
‘I live in Bondi so I’m always in a t-shirt and no shoes, that’s how I am most of my day just chilling – and you can’t do that. You always have to be almost sitting in a way like you’re posing,’ she said.
Local dilemma: Martha apparently can’t enjoy the beachside suburb to its fullest because of the photographers staking out the place
The reality TV star also tries to avoid smoking in public – not because it’s bad for her health, but because she doesn’t want to be ‘crucified’ if she’s photographed.
Martha went on to complain about a recent paparazzi set which she claimed made her look like a ‘swamp monster’. In reality, she looked perfectly fine.
She also made the extraordinary claim she’s ‘so hyper-vigilant I can hear the camera’s shutter’ from a distance, which is virtually impossible.
Bad habit: The reality TV star also tries to avoid smoking in public – not because it’s bad for her health, but because she doesn’t want to be ‘crucified’ if she’s photographed
Martha’s woe-is-me attitude is in stark contrast to genuine A-list celebrities in Australia, many of whom have a convivial relationship with the paps.
Hugh Jackman, who owns a house in Bondi, said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2018 that he cuts an informal deal with local snappers whenever he’s in Sydney.
‘I have a thing with the paparazzi, it’s weird,’ the Wolverine star, 52, said.
‘Down in Australia they’ll come to me – and they all know me at this point – and I’ll say to them, “Okay, what do you need, guys?”
A-lister: Martha’s woe-is-me attitude is in stark contrast to genuine A-list celebrities, many of whom have a convivial relationship with the paps. Hugh Jackman, who owns a house in Bondi, said in 2018 that he cuts an informal deal with local snappers whenever he’s in Sydney
‘And one of the main guys there, Shane, says, “Well we need you at Bondi [Beach], shirt off,” and I said, “Alright, tomorrow morning, eight o’clock.”‘
He added: ‘So they all turn up, it’s embarrassing, there’s like 30 of them, and then they leave me alone.
‘I figured, that’s a deal, I’ll take it… It’s very civilised down there in that way, or maybe it’s because they all want two weeks off!’
Beach bum: Hugh speaks to the paparazzi and tells them when and where they can get good shots of him shirtless at the beach – in exchange for them leaving him alone afterwards