Warning: The following content may not be suitable for younger readers.
Here at Newshub Lifestyle, we've never been one to shy away from a raunchy topic or two; we even covered, and graciously attended, the launch party of the Satisfyer Pro 2 in 2019.
From a go-to guide on glass sex toys to documenting sexual shenanigans, I for one believe in saying sayonara to the societal stigmas that continue to surround sex and sexuality. Besides, it's only by opening up the conversation that we can continue to break down the air of taboo that persistently wafts around the topic.
Thankfully in this day and age, far more celebrities and people of influence are speaking candidly about their sex lives with the help of social media, aiding the normalisation of something that is, well, incredibly normal.
One such person who contributed to the conversation recently was Ella Ding, a participant in this year's highly controversial series of Married At First Sight Australia. Ding, arguably the breakout star of the season, has issued a warning about the very real risks of overusing sex toys, admitting that she was once so reliant on hers, it affected her ability to enjoy sexy time with a significant other.
The reality TV star candidly discussed her "obsession" with her vibrator in the latest episode of her podcast, Sit With Us - co-hosted with fellow former bride, Domenica Calarco. The two became firm friends on the show after a very clear line was drawn between this year's brides, with the season's resident Mean Girl, Olivia Frazer, continually at war with Calarco - a war that included The Battle of the Broken Wine Glass and a heavily scrutinised OnlyFans scandal.
During the chat, 27-year-old Ding revealed that at the height of her "addiction", she was using the adult toy a staggering six times a night.
"It was like a secret obsession of mine. I used to get so excited to get into bed and spend time with it," Ding explained.
"Before I would go on a date I would get off. I became addicted to it, heavily reliant on it. And the settings heavily increased.
"So you gotta be careful, because I basically made [myself] desensitised to anything from a man."
After using the toy religiously for five years straight, often several times in one night, Ding admitted that she became accustomed to the sensation - which impacted her ability to enjoy sex without it. She noted that sex with a partner began to pale in comparison.
"I had to put it away. I said to myself, 'you have to stop using this', because it was making it harder to be with a man with no toy," she said.
"I actually put it away for two or three years."
After successfully curbing her addiction, Ding said she now has learned to enjoy the use of toys in moderation. She even recently partnered with sex toy brand Vush to promote their products on her social media.
"I have absolutely no shame around my self-love game," Ding captioned a recent post in collaboration with the brand. "Being single for so long has motivated me to understand loving myself alone. And it's fun."
Ding and Calarco launched their Sit With Us podcast in June after the pair discovered their no-nonsense approach and fun-loving rapport had resonated with Australian women. The two frequently discuss self-love and sex, and have candidly discussed the fallout of Calarco's "naked" photo being supposedly circulated among the cast after being obtained by her on-and-off-screen nemesis, Frazer.
