Spy: Edna Swart's starring role on Shortland Street

Edna Swart heads to Ferndale. Photo / Supplied

Reality star Edna Swart will be making her acting debut on Shortland Street in the coming weeks.

The 32-year-old first hit screens on BossBabes on TVNZ+. She won over the country making the finals last year on TVNZ 2's Celebrity Treasure Island and has appeared on TVNZ 1's Give us a Clue. But acting is new to the business entrepreneur.

Swart will appear on Shorty as Kelsey Bowers, a soon-to-be single mother who works for a media company. She's set to appear alongside Courtenay Louise, who plays Monique Strutter on Shortland Street. Louise will appear in the new season of Celebrity Treasure Island, launching on September 5, as will Swart's former BossBabes co-star Iyia Liu.

"It's completely different to filming reality TV," Swart tells Spy. " Being me is easy, no need to learn lines, act or be someone I'm not, which has been a learning curve for doing Shortland Street."

The brains behind the cosmetics and supplement brand ed&I body says she's never had acting lessons. A high school musical was about the extent of her experience. Swart insists she is still a reality girl at heart but has nevertheless put a lot of focus on her role as Kelsey.

"I was so impressed with how amazing the team at Shortland Street have been," she says.

"From the get-go, so welcoming, all the cast stopping to chat and the crew showing amazing guidance and patience as I became comfortable on set and with my lines."

Swart says the learning lines and early call times have been a challenge, but worth the experience. She laughs saying, "Who knows, this could be the start of something big."

Shortland Street producer Oliver Driver is thrilled with the synergy between his show and CTI.

"We are all big fans of Celebrity Treasure Island, with our very own Courtenay Louise in the new season, so we are thrilled to have Edna on the show … and we are coming for Lance Savali next," Driver says.

Swart has recently returned from her honeymoon after her marriage to Reid Stephen in May and says she felt a bit guilty working remotely over the past two months and then walking straight into a new acting role.

"My husband and I spent the most incredible five weeks away. We started in Rome and headed down to the Amalfi Coast, Capri and then spent a few weeks in Africa with my family, before going on a safari," she says.

Spending time with Swart's family in South Africa was long overdue and she was thrilled for her new husband to meet them.

"Italy just took my breath away. Take me back! Just the time along the coast, the beaches, food, beautiful clear water and quality time with the hubby was unbeatable."

Swart's team has been running the business while she was away, but now she's firmly back in the driver's seat.

"We are coming into the busiest time of the year with two new products launching between now and Christmas, so we are all go."

Will we be seeing more of Swart on the telly?

"I've always wanted to host, so I'm hoping that's in the pipeline one day," she says.