Matt Zukowski says he is in a much better place mentally following his split from social media influencer Tammy Hembrow, telling listeners he feels like a different person on his podcast this week.

Speaking with co-host Anna McEvoy on the Where's Your Head At? podcast ahead of R U OK? Day, Zukowski, 30, said a simple question from McEvoy — "Are you okay?" — prompted him to reflect on how much he has changed since last year. "Yes, I would like to say that I actually am okay," he said, adding that old podcast episodes made him realise how low he had been. "I was dead inside. I'm completely different now. I can be myself again."

Zukowski described a moment of contrast that illustrated his progress: driving past a store and suddenly remembering a phone call he had made there a year earlier. He said imagining his "old" self in that shop made him feel the same paralysis he had experienced then and led him to cry in his car. "I cried for him and how helpless he felt in that moment," he said. He told listeners he had at times "hit rock bottom" and struggled to get out of bed, but added that his situation had improved considerably.

He credited a strong support network of friends and family with helping him through the past year and urged anyone struggling with their mental health that "it does get better." McEvoy said Zukowski seemed "lighter" and agreed that listeners could notice the change in his demeanour.

Zukowski and Hembrow were engaged in December 2023 after about three months of dating and married in November 2024. They announced their separation in June after seven months of marriage. Since the split, Hembrow, 31, has been publicly linked to AFL player Bailey Smith. Zukowski has said he felt "hurt" seeing Hembrow move on quickly and has hinted he was the one to end the marriage, while media reports and public speculation offered differing accounts of who initiated the separation.

The podcast appearance followed months of attention on both parties' personal lives. Zukowski's comments came during a broadcast timed around R U OK? Day, an Australian mental-health awareness initiative that encourages people to check in on friends and loved ones. He emphasised the importance of being present for those who are struggling and acknowledged the role that others played in his recovery.

If you or someone you know needs support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.