Amber's happy homecoming'I' AM BACK WITH MY GIRL MIA!'

Shorty's former real-life mum and daughter duo have anotherchance to shine together

- Aroha Awarau

As former Shortland Street actress Amber Curreen and her 17-year-old daughter Mia are getting their make-up done for our Weekly photoshoot, Amber reminisces about the last time the mother and daughter featured in a women’s magazine.

Amber was 20 and was playing teen mum Shannon Te Ngaru on the popular Kiwi soap. She had just given birth to Mia and her real-life pregnancy was written into the show. Amber gets emotional remembering the moment when she got to act alongside her own baby girl.

“I was the same age as Mia now when I was on the show and we did that magazine shoot,” says Amber, whose teenage daughter listens on intently and is unaware she’s already featured in a magazine. “I feel like we’ve come full circle.”

Amber was 16 when she first appeared on Shorty and was on the show for five years.

Mia played baby Rangimarie during Amber’s last year.

“When I think about it, it feels cool to have something like this in my life,” says Mia, who is in her final year of high school at Ngā Puna o Waiōrea in Auckland. “It’s a great story to tell my mates.”