The Apprentice's Stephen ‘NUDE MODELLING SAVED MY LIFE!'

After a terrifying shark attack and several tragic losses, the star reveals his unconventional journey to beating body issues and mental health problems

- Florence Hartigan

Looking at The Apprentice Aotearoa contestant Stephen McDowell’s popular Instagram account, the Invercargill reality star seems like someone more likely to be meditating on a beach in Bali than making moves in the boardroom. But the man behind the man bun is driven by a mission – and it’s not only to win the $50,000 prize.

The 28-year-old social media content creator, who has wheeled and dealed his way into the hit show’s final episodes, says his “ruthless confidence” is fuelled by the unusual ways he’s found to overcome the incredible hardships he’s faced.

Stephen’s first brush with tragedy came at a very early age. “My family was at the beach on the New Year’s Eve of the new millennium when I saw my sister come out of the water and drop to the ground,” he recalls. “Immediately, I knew something was badly wrong. A shark had attacked her. It had actually ripped off her left arm and I was the first one to see her. I was just six years old.”

After a pause, Stephen adds, “That day is so ingrained in my head that it will never go away. I was traumatised and developed an extreme fear of the ocean.”

This fear kept the Southlander out of the water for 14 years until, at the age of 20, he decided it was time to confront his phobia. “I knew I couldn’t be an adult and be this terrified of the sea,” says Stephen, “so I signed up for a surf lifesaving course and forced myself back into the water. I didn’t enjoy it, but I finished the course and that was life-changing for me.”