There is no denying Married at First Sight Australia's Lucinda Reilly is a star.
Within moments of word getting out that she's in the Newshub building, Lucinda Light is swamped with fans who want to meet her, take a selfie, or tell her she "lights up the screen" during the show.
She greets every one of them with warmth, giving each a feeling their interaction is unique and treasured. It's this free-spirited, genuine energy she generates through the screen, and probably factors highly into why she is so popular.
"It's been an incredible experience for me," the Byron Bay resident gushes.
"I've been so blown away by the reception that people have actually received me with such love. It just continues to blow me away every single day. Very, very humbling."
It soon transpires Aotearoa holds a special place in her heart as well.
"I spent six months here about 10, 12 years ago hitchhiking - I know the country quite well. I spent time in Tākaka, I lived in Raglan and the Coromandel coast.
"It was a very illuminating and profoundly spiritual journey. I had a shaved head at the time. I was like, 'I'm off on a sabbatical, a journey into me', and I landed in New Zealand and couldn't get enough of that."
In person, Light is theatrical - from waving her hands around animatedly during questions to pulling faces. She is clearly at ease with herself both off and on the screen.
"I am who I am, and I think you get well into your 40s and you have established who you are. I'm familiar with the name of the game and my values, you know, my truth and humour and creativity. What you see is what you get.
"I do have my haters, though. There're some people that truly don't get me at all," she admits with the kind of laissez-faire attitude you would rarely find from anyone subjected to continued, intense social media scrutiny.
Newshub wondered if such an approach to life had felt at odds with others who are younger in the social experiment, which airs on Three and ThreeNow.
"One of my deep practices, especially over the last five, six years, is to suspend judgment into being in the practice of non-judgment. I don't particularly think age equals wisdom.
"There's a lot to learn. Some of my dearest soul friends are children, I've got some beautiful children in my stratosphere. Yeah, there is something that life teaches you and we experience a lot as we get older, but a good soul is a good soul."
Someone who's not a good soul on the show is self-proclaimed "alpha male" Jack Dunkley.
Easily carving out himself a niche worthy of many red flags, Dunkley's villainous nadir hit when he told Jono to "muzzle your woman".
"Unfortunately, I don't know what to say. He really has made his own bed, and he's lying in it now, and it's not great. It's prickly - he's quite misogynistic at times and not respectful. It's really disappointing, actually. I don't often meet people like that, and I actually couldn't work them out. I'm still puzzled by their [Jack and wife Tori Adams'] relationship. You know, who they are and their connection. I just sort of find it hard to understand.
"I think what Jack's done is he has played the villain well, that's Jack, but it is incredible to have it on the main screen to go, 'This is what misogyny looks like. This is not welcome'. It's disgusting. And you know, that showcases how we don't want to behave. So, I think it is a discussion point. It's a gift that he's given."
While Light is also tight-lipped about her future with on-screen husband Timothy ("this was a bit of a story of unrequited love in many ways"), she's full of praise for the guy dubbed the "Tin Man" because of the barriers he worked to break down.
"Tim absolutely is the archetype of the big Australian fella. I can't speak for New Zealand, but you know, the Aussie bloke that struggles sharing his feelings and emotions, that bottle a lot up and have a lot of scars and a lot of pain.
"So relating to that, it came with its challenges and kind of melting walls and understanding and accepting. We had a beautiful journey. I love Timbo so much - there's such a big heart there."
Many fans of the show though have complained that while Timothy got the woman he needed, Light didn't get the man she deserved - a comment she refutes.
"I wouldn't have traded him in for the world. I don't care if it was bad for me. It brought out the full facet of my humanity being paired with somebody [like him] and having to pull all the resources and tools I had to get close to somebody."
Talking of getting close, Newshub wanted to know post-experiment who she was going to stay in touch with.
"A friend who will be a treasure for life is Andy, Andrea - the oldest bride. She just had my back from the beginning, and she's such a creative angel. She's just divine.
"Cassandra is another dear friend - she's just pure sunshine. Lauren I'm a huge fan of. She's an absolute champion. And I love Tris, I adopted him as my son, Tristan. He called me 'mama' through the whole experiment," she giggled.
As Newshub's time with the ethereal icon that is Lucinda Light draws to a close, thoughts turn to the future - and what she may do next.
"I'm really trying to slow things down and make the right choices aligned with my values, as well as wanting to absolutely spread more positivity and love and light into the world in all sorts of ways. I think I do want to get into television."
It seems there's one perfect TV show Light could make - a relationship road-trip show with her colourful father Michael, who chose his moment on the show during 'Family and Friends Week' to try and force a hitherto-resistant Timothy into a one-night stand with his daughter.
Light laughs loud and long at the idea.
"Dad's my pimp, apparently. Look, dad's a classic. In real life, he is like that too. He's a total eccentric. We are a funny team. We've always been a funny team."
However, Light isn't sure she wants to give him more screen time.
"He's more famous than me in Melbourne at the moment. You can't walk down the street without everybody recognising him. And at 74, he's just lapping it up. People spot him before they spot me!"
Full episodes of the current season of MAFS AU are streaming on ThreeNow and airing on Three at 7pm Sunday-Wednesday.
