MEGAN'S NEW LIFE - 'I WAS STARVING MYSELF'

After years of negative comments about her weight, the New Plymouth woman is now a plus-size model

Not many people can say that stumbling across an island full of influencers in Fiji changed the trajectory of their life. But New Plymouth plus-size model Megan Wright can.

The content creator was on a solo island getaway in 2019, weeks after being dumped on Valentine's Day, when she was approached by New Zealandborn influencer Riley Hemson, who has amassed more than 640,000 Instagram followers as a plus-size model.

The Gold Coast-based influencer told Megan how great she looked in her bikini and that approach sparked a life-changing conversation.

"Riley asked if we could take a photo together and I'd followed her for ages on Instagram, so I was just trying to stay cool and not be a fan girl," laughs Megan, who was born in South Africa and moved to Aotearoa at 16.

"I was like, "Thank you, sure. It meant a lot because my whole life I've really struggled with body-image issues." Admiring Riley's confidence, Megan admitted she often stressed about what people thought when she wore a bikini out in public.

"Riley told me we can't afford to spend our lives worrying what people think, and to live for ourselves and make ourselves happy," smiles Megan, who is a qualified nail technician.