MAFS Australia star announces huge career move as they eye up UK

Dave Hand is ready for his next chapter and reality TV fans will be relieved - the Aussie hunk is ready to take on more projects on the small screen, both on his turf and abroad.

Since leaving Married At First Sight Australia, Dave Hand has had to get to grips with life after reality TV. “It’s definitely a lot harder than I expected,” he says, “You’re not only thrown into TV and popularity, it’s like a whole new world. Like learning to walk again.”

New to the spotlight, Dave didn’t anticipate how fame would affect his everyday life. “It plays out in everything you do,” he says. “You go out for coffee, you’re taking photos with somebody. Or you’re walking down the street and people are asking you for advice.”

Audiences saw a man entering the MAFS experiment with real intention. But behind his calm exterior, his father Howard was battling cancer.

“A lot of people connected with me through my dad’s sickness,” Dave says. “Cancer is a hell of a disease and it’s an eye-opener because you don’t realise how many people are going through it. It’s really nice to hear people’s stories.”

His ability to connect has even made him crave more TV projects - he's even considering a big move to the UK. “I want to get to the UK, probably later in the year," Dave says.

READ MORE: 'Super well made' necklace so hard to break it's got a lifetime warranty for under £50

"I’d love to do some reality TV over there.” But reality TV comes with backlash, and Dave, 36, has experienced both the highs and lows of fan attention.

“On one side, you’ve got really nice, heartwarming messages and on the other, you’ve got someone who’s so immature,” Dave says. “They choose to be mean rather than spread kindness and love. I don’t understand it.”

The trolls aren’t the only thing frustrating him. The off-screen drama between his castmates has left Dave disappointed. MAFS' latest series was one of the most explosive yet – with Ryan Donnelly and Jacqui Burfoot’s feud spiralling into applications for restraining orders and off-camera rows erupting between other participants.

“The cast members should be looking after one another after the show. And you have people acting ridiculously towards each other. It’s a damn shame,” Dave sighs.

“Adrian [Araouzou] said some things about me and he copped it from the public. I feel sorry for him,” Dave says. “But in the meantime, he’s attacking me. This isn’t the way the group should be handling it. It’s quite scary.

“We should be backing each other at this time and we’ve dropped the ball completely. We could have been standing up to the bad comments together.”

Now, Dave’s focus is on who matters most – his father. “The tumours my dad had on the show had shrunk – but they’ve come back pretty quickly,” he says, sadly. “He’s on a new drug trial now. Only 200 people in the world are on it. Dad says, ‘If I can help somebody, I’m going to give this a crack.’”

But Dave doesn’t sugarcoat it. “Dad’s been fighting it for five years and now it’s taken a toll on him. He’s a bit frail and now he’s got to go into battle again.”

As for dating? He’s in no rush. In fact, he’s more focused on mental health advocacy. “Mental health issues and depression have been in my family, I’ve witnessed it, I’ve lived it,” he says.

“But I’ve processed it, I deal with it and I know what works for me. I can help others with that. I want to get the message across that the sad days don’t stick. I’d like to be a role model for kids. I want to start a charity one day.”

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Threads.