Living To The Max

Reality Star Turned Tv Presenter And Business Owner, Matilda Rice Is Facing Down Challenges And Growing Stronger In The Process. She Talks To Sara Bunny About Gaining Confidence And Changing Her Views On Health And Wellbeing

- Sara Bunny

Whether it’s running a healthy food business, fronting campaigns as a brand ambassador, planning a wedding or, most recently, hosting a reality show, it’s hard to keep up with Matilda Rice.

Not only are her days filled with everything from publicity meetings to photo shoots as her career gathers steam, she’s also evolving on a personal journey; facing up to life in the spotlight, and rethinking her ideas on health and fitness. Life can certainly get busy, but the down-to-earth Aucklander is determined to make the most of everything that comes her way.

“So many things have happened that have pushed me out of my comfort zone, and I feel like I’ve achieved a lot of things that I never thought I could do,” she muses. “I try to keep that self-belief in me, that thought of ‘Well I managed that, and then I achieved this other thing, so why can’t I tackle this new challenge?’ I definitely have days where I think holy s*** I’m in over my head! But it’s through those times that you really grow and learn.”

A good kind of heartbreak

Today, she’s chatting brightly over lunch with Good Health Choices, waving a forkful of beetroot slaw in the air as she talks us through her latest project. It was the search for love that first brought Matilda to our screens on the debut series of The Bachelor NZ, and these days, she’s back on TV in the name of romance – keeping order amid nasty tiffs and dodgy trysts as a co-host on TVNZ’s Heartbreak Island.