After seven weeks sharing her fitness journey with the nation on Operation Transformation, Marie says something has noticeably and powerfully shifted for her.
"I'm in a new mindset", she tells me over the phone. "The world, it's like it's after opening up, I had to tell my story for people to open their eyes."
Marie, who has Achondroplasia, has garnered praise for her openness and honesty about everything from her fear of nights out in cities, to embarking on a fertility journey, with or without a partner. In just a few weeks, she says she's seeing results that have nothing to do with her physical self.
"I don't think it's all in my head. When I go around, everyone is so nice now, there's no one staring, I can't see anyone making remarks or anything like that. I've told them exactly how it is, there's nothing else to tell! I've literally let everything out on television and I think people are respecting that."
At the start, undertaking her OT journey was definitely about health, she says. "I needed to do something about my weight. If I got any heavier, my independence would have struggled, my walking and my back."
Going into the show as a person with achondroplasia, she knew there would be learning curves for herself and the experts. She remembers them telling her in studio that "they didn't know what way it was going to work for me".
However, her experience so far has been life-changing, she says. "It's like I won the lotto to be honest, to finally find an exercise that suits me, to finally start finding things that I enjoy doing."
Her condition can make some things that the average person takes for granted more difficult, such as taking bloods or doing a traditional push-up. She mentioned how under the experts' guidance she'd learned to adapt a knee push-up into a plank one, to better suit her body.
I'd love to invite marie out to @TheGeorgeDublin for her first night out in Dublin! We’d look after her and she’d have a ball❤️ #LateLateShow #operationtransformation #otireland https://t.co/Jq3K0K1yzf
— Davina Devine (@DavinaDevine) January 6, 2023
Even dosages of medication can cause problems, as she's experienced in the past. "It's so frustrating for families. Even getting an antibiotic, 500 mg is too strong for us. I have to know myself that is too strong for me, so I have a half tablet."
Spreading awareness for health and fitness as a person with achondroplasia has been firmly in focus for her. "We deserve to go into a doctor's and they know enough about us or a hospital. I shouldn't have to go on national TV to tell people but I am after coming on national TV. I hope people open their minds and start to do research on that."
Not least on her list of priorities was losing enough weight to become safely pregnant, something she had wanted to achieve by a certain stage. "I always said I'd be pregnant before I was 30, but I had a few things to get out of the way", she says. "But I couldn't motivate myself."
"If I tried, say, when I was 30, I was way too heavy. First of all, my body would have struggled to carry a baby. Yes, the baby might have been fine, but I would have struggled. My back would have given in, I probably would have been in a wheelchair at the end of my journey."
Now 33, Marie feels her clock is ticking more than ever, and she's determined to become a mother with or without a partner. "Instead of waiting to meet my man, I could be 35, 36, it might be too late for me then. So I have to go ahead and do what I want. I have to think about myself.
"I don't want to be there at 40 finally with my partner or husband and have no kids. I think I would be very sad. So I'm working on my dreams now. I'm thinking about myself and this is what I want.
"I'm going to be an independent woman with a child. It's not saying that I'm not looking for love. Of course I'm looking for love, but I can't wait."
Since joining the show, Marie has been eagerly ticking things off her list that she'd put off before, thanks to the newfound confidence she feels. One of those was going out on the town in a city, which she says she had found "daunting" before.
👏👏Massive congratulations to everyone in @RockcorryGAA on the amazing turnout this evening for the #IrelandLightsUp walk with Marie Clear, @rte #OperationTransformation Leader 2023
— @monaghangaa (@monaghangaa) February 5, 2023
We wish Marie the very best of luck and tune into #rteOT to cheer Marie on 🟢⚪️🔵 pic.twitter.com/n62bsRz0OW
Inspired by her honesty in talking about it on last week's episode, drag superstar Davina Devine invited Marie for a night out at The George, where the pair discussed their lives in depth. "People stare at her too", Marie says.
With just two weeks of OT left, Marie reflected on how she plans to keep the motivation up once the cameras stop rolling. "I got quite emotional because I've got so much out of it and now it's coming to an end. I'm scared", she says.
However, as our call wrapped up she was on her way out for a walk with friends, determined to keep the momentum going and meet all of her goals.
As she said: "Just because journey is ending, you have to keep going."
Watch Operation Transformation on Wednesday at 9:30pm on RTE One.
