Bake Off star Teniqua - 'BEING A TEEN MUM SAVED ME!'

How an unexpected pregnancy helped her escape a Once Were Warriors-style home life

- Leena Tailor.

As a pregnant 18-year-old high school drop-out grappling with depression and domestic violence, one might expect being kicked out of her Hamilton home would prove the final straw for Teniqua Jones. Yet that moment marked a life-changing turning point for the Great Kiwi Bake Off contestant.

Taking the lessons of her tumultuous youth, Teniqua would go on to complete her education, build a strong marriage, create a loving home for her children and become a self-taught baking whizz.

“I went through all those struggles, then life was full of blessings,” the 29-year-old mother-of-three tells Woman’s Day. “Maybe the karma’s come back good after all the trauma!”

The eldest of 10 kids, Teniqua’s early home life was marked by financial strain and domestic violence. She was around four when she first recalls witnessing her dad lashing out at her mother Desileeanne.

“He’d beat up my mum all the time and I was scared of him,” she recalls. “He was paranoid, controlling, manipulative and jealous.”

Arguments over simple matters like washing dishes would trigger her dad – who also hit her – and anger management courses did little to improve his behaviour.

By 16, Teniqua gave up on sports, neglected her studies and frequently skipped class, earning her regular detentions. She began drinking, felt “lost” and experienced depression.