Kiwi treasure Jess ‘THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING BRAVE'

Why the reality TV star rose to the challenge, opening up about her most devastating experience

- Aroha Awarau

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It’s been three months since former beauty queen and Maori Television journalist Jess Tyson competed in Celebrity Treasure Island. The experience of being on the reality TV show has lifted her public profile and more people are recognising her on the street.

But the Whanganui-born broadcaster was not motivated to compete on the hit TVNZ show because of the fame and attention. As a survivor of child sexual abuse, Jess started her own charity, Brave, to raise awareness about sexual violence involving young children. She said yes immediately to being one of the 21 celebrities to compete on Treasure Island because the contestants had the chance to win $100,000 for their chosen charities

“I did relatively well on the show, and the reason why I got so far was because I was motivated by raising awareness and money for Brave. I had such a strong connection to the reason why I was there that it helped me keep my focus and pushed me even harder.”