EXCLUSIVE: Stacey Hampton's crippling depression and breakup with Rebels bikie boss led to the collapse of a chicken shop she bought with money she inherited after her dad's death
- Stacey Hampton, 26, bought popular Chicken Castle in Adelaide in April 2016
- The business went downhill and closed for good in December 2017
- Stacey says the takeaway collapsed after she gave birth to her sons and split from Rebels bikie boss Shane Michael Smith
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Married At First Sight's Stacey Hampton has blamed postnatal depression and the break-up of her relationship with a Rebels bikie boss for the collapse of a once-thriving chicken takeaway shop she and her mother took over in 2016.
The 26-year-old law graduate bought the Chicken Castle takeaway in the northern Adelaide suburb of Prospect in April 2016 along with her mother Tracey.
They bought into the business with money inherited after the death of her father, who committed suicide, and her brother who was killed in a motorcycle accident
When they took it over, Chicken Castle was a thriving business with a strong local reputation built up over 28 years of operation but its doors were closed for good in December 2017 - only 20 months after Stacey and her mother took it over.
Business failure: Married At First Sight's Stacey Hampton (pictured) has revealed that her Adelaide business failed because she was suffering from crippling postnatal depression
High hopes: The 26-year-old law graduate and her mother Tracey bought the Chicken Castle takeaway on Prospect Road, in the city's northern suburbs, in April 2016
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Within a short time of their takeover, negative reviews started accumulating online, with regular customers complaining about the drop in standards of both food and service.
Trip Advisor reviews showed how things went downhill after the April 2016 change of ownership.
Reviewer Barry H. said 'everything has changed. Last and final two visits were terrible' while Trevor Marshall said he was 'a regular over the years but with new management this place ... has gone downhill.'
Stacey told Daily Mail Australia that the business failed due to difficulties in her personal life which prevented her devoting enough time and energy to its operation.
'My mum and I opened the business in our family trust. It went to s**t and we were losing a lot of money. I'd just given birth, I was suffering with postnatal depression and Shane and I had just split up,' she admitted.
Deserted: The restaurant, which first opened in 1978, had gone through three owners before Stacey and Tracey acquired it, but closed shop for good in December 2017. Pictured in 2020
Stacey split from Rebels bikie boss Shane Michael Smith, the father of her two children, in July 2017, after months of 'trying to make it work for the kids'.
The former couple share two sons, Kruz, two, and Kosta, four. Smith was not involved with the business.
Stacey, who was paired with company director Michael Goonan on Married At First Sight, was also studying law while running Chicken Castle, adding to her workload.
Closed: After closing its doors, Chicken Castle now sits idle waiting for a new tenant to resurrect the once-popular eatery, more than two years later
Investment: Stacey told Daily Mail Australia she had bought Chicken Castle with money she had inherited from the deaths of her father and brother
More than two years on from its closure, Chicken Castle still sits idle waiting for a new owner to resurrect the once-thriving eatery.
All the equipment, including the rotisserie, cash register, display counters, chip fryers, and even coffee cups, are still inside gathering dust.
Stacey is currently enduring a tumultuous 'marriage' to Michael Goonan on MAFS.
Difficult time: While the business was still in operation, Stacey split from Rebels bikie boss Shane Michael Smith (left), the father of her children, after months 'trying to make it work'
Reality star: Stacey is paired with company director Michael Goonan (left) on MAFS
She initially wasn't attracted to her groom and snubbed him at their wedding, before later discovering he was the millionaire company director of Adelaide Ice.
After then becoming the first couple on the show to have sex, Stacey kicked Michael out of their apartment on Monday night's episode, which was filmed in September.
'So last night Michael went out. He came home and he was drunk, being obnoxious, rude and disrespectful towards me. He said he was happy to leave [the experiment and marriage] and never see me again. So, I kicked him out,' said an upset Stacey.
Stacey continued: 'What makes it worse is that I've been through this before. The same thing happened to us on the honeymoon. That's it, he's done in my eyes.'
Following the row, the couple were spotted 'splitting up' during a blazing row outside of their Sydney CBD apartment on October 7, while continuing to film the show.
According to an onlooker, the pair started arguing inside the Skye Suites hotel lobby, where they lived during filming, before the fighting spilled out onto the street.
Awkward: She initially wasn't attracted to her groom and snubbed him at their wedding, before later discovering he was the millionaire company director of Adelaide Ice
'He came home drunk and rude': After then becoming the first couple on the show to have sex, Stacey kicked Michael out of their Sydney apartment on Monday night's episode after a row
The end? The couple were then spotted 'splitting up' during a blazing row outside of their Sydney CBD apartment on October 7, while continuing to film the show
