TikTok star Paris 'I'M BRINGING OUR KAI TO THE WORLD

After a tough start to motherhood, the foodie tells how she reclaimed her life

- Kasia De Vydt-Jillings

Talking to the camera in her kitchen, social media star Paris Nuku shares what she’s cooking for dinner – often the Māori kai she grew up on – and what life is like living with four generations on the whānau farm. She’s soft-spoken, warm and relatable as her toddler wanders in and out of the frame or the video loses focus – and hundreds of thousands of followers online love it.

But opening up her kitchen to the world has also helped heal the Tauranga mum after the stressful birth of her now three-year-old daughter Rangimarie Leef.

“I didn’t know what I was experiencing at the time, so I went to my GP, who diagnosed me with ‘baby blues’,” tells Paris.

The intermittent bouts of depression the young mum experienced would come in waves for the next two years. Surprisingly, Paris found comfort in sharing elements of her life on TikTok.

“It was something I could do for myself to get the creativity flowing again to help me as I was coming out of that low mind state,” explains Paris, 24.

“The birth was traumatic. I had a placenta abruption and needed an emergency Caesarean, but we live 40 minutes from the closest hospital, so the drive was a nightmare.”

Placenta abruption is when the placenta separates from the inner wall of the uterus before birth, which can deprive the baby of oxygen and nutrients, and cause heavy bleeding to the mother.