Kiwi drama queen LILY'S A CLASS ACT

The Palmerston North talent won’t let Down syndrome stop her star from rising

- Elisabeth Easther

Lily Harper has dreamed of being an actress all her life. “I’ve always loved drama,” she tells Woman’s Day. “When I was younger, I liked pretending to be a different person, like a Disney character or just another child. When we did work experience at school, I said I wanted to be a movie star, so they found me a job in a cinema.”

Now aged 33, Lily is still shooting for the stars and recently had a lead role in the play Up Down Girl, which had a successful run in her hometown of Palmerston North, before receiving rave reviews in Wellington.

Although, like most actors, Lily knows to hold on to her day job. When she’s not acting, she’s a valued member of the team at her local Farmers, having worked there for over 13 years.

Incidentally, Lily also has Down syndrome, but she’s definitely not the sort of person to let an extra chromosome stand in the way of achieving her goals.

Born in England in 1988, when Lily’s birth mother decided she couldn’t provide the care a child with Down’s might need, baby Lily was adopted at six months by mum Angela and dad Paul.