Celebrity Treasure Island’s Lynette Forday says ‘I never fit in and I never felt enough’

It’s easy to believe that reality TV is sometimes not as real as it is portrayed on screen. If you have ever suspected that the celebrities who feature on such shows trundle off to more salubrious accommodation – heaving catering platters in hand – once the cameras are off, Lynette Forday is here to disabuse you of that notion.

“It’s absolutely not pretend in any way, shape or form,” says the Celebrity Treasure Island star emphatically.

Forday says she knew when she signed up for the local series that she was dooming herself to a diet of rice and beans and a bathroom with a view, but she secretly hoped the Celebrity Treasure Island campsite in the Far North would not be quite as spartan as she had been led to believe.

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“I’m a real princess,” she states. “I don’t do outdoors. Just the thought of using an outdoor toilet is terrifying,” she says, audibly horrified at the memory. “I imagined that it was sort of pretend, that there would be a trailer somewhere where you’d get food.

“I mean, I knew there wasn’t but I kind of hoped that it wouldn’t be as brutal as they said it was – but it was.

“I don’t even like rice or beans. That’s the funny thing. So I got used to eating a lot of rice and beans.

“The positive is that once you’re there, you have no option but to embrace it, so I did go, ‘Oh crap’ but there’s no way out.”

Despite describing herself as, “Not a nature person at all, not one bit,” the 800 Words actor was swayed to join the series by the opportunity to help Sticks‘n’Stones, a cause that is meaningful to her.

“It’s a charity that works with younger people and gives them tools and workshops to learn how to stand up for themselves against bullying and not feeling good enough. And the reason why I chose it is because it aligns with the work that I do.”

For the past few years, Forday has worked with schools to provide drama-based workshops in which young people are encouraged to express themselves.

“We sit down, eat lunch, and play some games. And the games are all about giving them confidence and believing in themselves.

“I tell them that they can come and see me any day… there’s nothing worse for a kid at lunchtime who feels like they’ve got no friends or nowhere to go. And I remember that so strongly when I was a kid – feeling left out, having nowhere to go. So I always tell my kids that they can come to my class no matter what, whether they’re supposed to be there or not. Because I want them to feel that they have somewhere safe to go.”

Forday, 54, who has a 17-year-old daughter and three adult stepchildren, says that helping children through this difficult period in their lives is a “huge, huge passion” for her.

“I grew up not feeling enough because I was always different. I was the little Asian kid, the non-European face, and I never fit in and I never felt enough.

“And then I went into an industry where prejudice is accepted, I guess. I know they talk about things changing but it’s a very slow game. I still think it hasn’t changed enough.

“What was amazing on Celebrity Treasure Island though, was that there were three Asian faces, which was extraordinary on any show, so we were very excited about that.”

As a former ballet dancer, Forday says exercise has always been a part of her life. But despite her high level of fitness, she says the physicality of the competition was a challenge.

“It was tricky because even though I’m very physical, I’m quite small, so size matters quite a bit.”

Perhaps even more challenging than the physical game was the mental game that came with Celebrity Treasure Island. There were alliances, strategies and devious plotting at play, something that Forday struggled with.

“I wasn’t really up to playing games. I’m a pretty brutally honest sort of kid.

“I’m straight up and that’s not quite how that game runs.”

As well as acting, Forday also does voiceover work, motivational speaking and is a Pilates instructor.

While she has added many strings to her bow since starring as Grace Kwan on Shortland Street in 1996, it is that role she is still asked most often about.

“It’s the gift that keeps on giving,” Forday says. “Grace Kwan never seems to die, which is lovely. It’s a real compliment.”

Celebrity Treasure Island, TVNZ 2, Monday – Wednesday