Felicity Palmateer reveals support she got from her castmates on Australian Survivor: Brains V Brawn

Felicity Palmateer has revealed how supported she felt on Australian Survivor: Brains V Brawn after losing her mother while filming the series. 

Her mum, Pauline Burggraaf, was 52-years-old and had been suffering from Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) when she died. 

Felicity, 28, opted to stay on the show after receiving the news, with the encouragement of her brothers and cast mates. 

Hard: Felicity Palmateer (pictured) has revealed how supported she felt on Australian Survivor: Brains V Brawn after losing her mother while filming the series. Felicity, 28, opted to stay on the show after receiving the news, with the encouragement of her brothers and cast mates

‘To get my head back in the game was incredibly difficult. The decision I made was not a decision that I made lightly’ she on The Project on Tuesday. 

‘I had spoken to all my family and I knew I had their full support, but when I walked back into camp after finding out that news, I have never experienced love like that from people I have known for only 34 days. 

‘All the support from the crew and production was amazing,’ she said. 

Tears: ‘To get my head back in the game was incredibly difficult. The decision I made was not a decision that I made lightly’ she on The Project on Tuesday.

Love: ‘When I walked back into camp after finding out that news, I have never experienced love like that from people I have known for only 34 days. All the support from the crew and production was amazing,’ she said

Felicity added that after the episode in which she made her decision aired on Monday, it helped her process her grief.   

‘I also experienced something so traumatic and not being able to speak freely about that has been difficult and watching last night I feel like I’m starting a different stage of my grieving process and it feels good,’ she said.   

Pauline had been struggling with the illness for six years prior to her death and Felicity didn’t think she would succumb while she was away.  

‘I honestly thought I had more time,’ Felicity told The Daily Telegraph on Monday. 

Loss: Her mum, Pauline Burggraaf, was 52-years-old and had been suffering from Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) when she died. Pictured with her mother Pauline 

Grief: Felicity added that after the episode in which she made her decision aired on Monday, it helped her process her grief. ‘Not being able to speak freely about that has been difficult and watching last night I feel like I’m starting a different stage of my grieving process,’ she said 

‘My mum had been living with FTD for years. She had deteriorated so quickly in the last few years – she was in a wheelchair, she couldn’t speak and was living in a high-care facility – but I thought she had at least another year.’ 

Felicity added that her brothers encouraged her to stay on the show.   

‘Luke and Alex were so supportive and really encouraged me to stay. If it wasn’t for them telling me to stay, it would have been incredibly hard.  And I just wanted to do her proud,’ she told the paper. 

Felicity is a professional surfer from Perth, Western Australia and in 2016 competed in the Pe’ahi Women’s Challenge in Maui. 

Athlete: Felicity is a professional surfer from Perth, Western Australia and in 2016 competed in the Pe’ahi Women’s Challenge in Maui