A decade on... Kiwi drug mule horror SHARON'S PRISON HELL HITS SCREENS

The jailed gran’s tale of terror comes to TV – with Rima Te Wiata in the starring role

- Fleur Guthrie

It’s been 10 years since Kiwi grandmother Sharon Armstrong made headlines around the world for falling victim to an elaborate romance scam that saw her imprisoned in Argentina.

Tricked into believing she was transporting top-secret documents for “Frank”, a man she’d fallen in love with online, Sharon was arrested as she attempted to board a flight from Buenos Aires to London with 5kg of cocaine hidden in the lining of her suitcase.

Now 63 and working in youth services in Northland, Sharon is revisiting those nightmarish first days after her arrest for TVNZ 1 drama The Tender Trap, based on her story, which screens Monday, March 15.

She hopes that before viewers pass any judgement, they realise a scam like that could happen to anyone – a sentiment that was key for actress Rima Te Wiata, who plays Sharon’s character in the biopic.

“Both the producer and I talked about wanting to convey that,” says Rima. “There are certain times in our lives where we’re more vulnerable to falling for a scam. It also depends on how clever someone is who’s grooming you.

“It’s just revolting. It was very important to represent Sharon’s intelligence and the difficult time with the infamy that surrounded her afterwards.”

Sharon, the former deputy chief executive of the Maori Language Commission, adds, “I was vilified. People still look sideways at me and I can tell what they’re thinking: ‘How could you be so dumb?’