I'm doing my bit to save the planet'

Married At First Sight star Jenna Robinson, 32, is determined to change the world with her lifestyle choices and zero-waste store

- JOSIE COPSON

One second I’m laughing at something funny online – the next, there are tears landing on my cheeks. I try to quickly wipe them away but my dad, who is sitting opposite me, notices and asks if I’m okay. “Not really,” I reply.

We’re in the middle of a pub quiz, but I used the break between rounds to have a quick scroll on Facebook. A video of a lorry running over cattle appeared on my feed. I feel the animals’ pain in my chest, and wonder why we don’t treat animals with the respect they deserve. A switch instantly flicks within me.

That was seven years ago, and I’ve not touched any meat or animal products since. I began to learn more about our mistreatment of animals, and how we don’t need animal produce to thrive. In fact, quite the opposite. My skin and energy levels are far better now.

Veganism led to an interest in sustainability too, and how my choices impact the planet. I watched documentaries and read articles, and learned how humans are literally destroying the planet with consumerism, plastic and over-farming. It’s causing a climate crisis, and the earth is not going to survive for long if we don’t change our ways. I became a woman on a mission, filling myself up to brim with all the knowledge.

I’m a perfectionist, so I took things to the extreme, and wouldn’t buy anything that couldn’t be recycled. I owned a dance school at the time, and sometimes I’d be working really long days. If I didn’t have enough food with me, I’d rather go hungry than get a supermarket snack that wasn’t fully recyclable. I’d feel so much guilt eating a bag of crisps that it wasn’t worth it. I started making a massive batch of snacks, like granola bars, on a Sunday, to eat during the week, to try to avoid these issues.