Former Paddict Holly CLIMBING MT EVEREST!

After winning her battle with drugs and alcohol, the Whangarei journalist is at an all-time high

- Aroha Awarau

In April, Holly Beckham, journalist for the current affairs show Marae, was sent to cover an inspirational story about a group of former drug addicts acting for the first time in a theatre production.

It was an especially moving story for the reporter, 34, as she is also a former alcoholic and methamphetamine addict, who spent 19 years in a downward spiral before making the decision to regain control of her life.

Holly's connection to the play, He Aha Te Mea Nui O Te Ao?, was so strong, she was asked by producers if she wanted to join the cast and share her own triumphant tale on stage.

Though she'd never acted before, Holly hesitantly accepted their offer and she's since found the experience therapeutic as she knows sharing her troubled past will help others.

"Watching the other actors perform made me want to do it," Holly tells Woman's Day. "They also had never acted before and they're telling their stories, which are confronting and personal. They allowed themselves to be vulnerable. I saw that it gave them freedom and I wanted to have that same feeling.

"It's hard to tell my story and be emotional, especially when I'm having to act out the most traumatic periods of my life. You can't hide when you're on stage. You are bare and vulnerable when you're revisiting your past, and exploring the person that you once were."