Ella & Brynley's for friendship 'SHE'S MY RIDE-OR-DIE!"

The Kiwi stars open up about rivalry, chemistry and child beauty pageants

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The strongest female friendships are often forged through a slow burn - a sentiment certainly true for Kiwi actresses Ella Hope-Higginson and Brynley Stent.

The pair first met in 2013, while at drama school in Wellington, with Auckland-based Ella particularly taken by Christchurch funnygirl Brynley's creative chops.

“I vividly remember the solo piece Bryn did in her final year,” Ella, 33, tells us. “Like something out of Labyrinth, she played this witchy creature with her entire set built so she could carry it on her back. I thought, ‘That’s my kind of girl!’”

Yet it wasn’t until the pair starred in a stage production of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night that their relationship evolved from one of mutual admiration to friends for life.

“We played accidental lovers Viola and Olivia, so we knew we had good stage chemistry,” explains Brynley, 36, who has gone on to appear in Taskmaster NZ and Celebrity Treasure Island. “I also remember being jealous of Ella's beautiful singing voice when she starred in