RIGHT AT HOME: Olivia Adams on the set of Word Up with comedian Oliver Driver (right) and a fellow guest. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
RIGHT AT HOME: Olivia Adams on the set of Word Up with comedian Oliver Driver (right) and a fellow guest. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
Olivia Adams can now add "TV star" to her somewhat random CV which also includes hairdresser, speedway driver and amateur boxer.
Earlier this year the 22-year-old Rotorua woman was asked by producers of TV One comedy quiz show Word Up to be a guest on the show - playing gamesand answering questions on an episode loosely based around a "driving" theme.
So in March, she took a day off from her job at Salon St Bruno and drove to Auckland to film alongside comedians Oliver Driver, Nic Sampson and Steve Wrigley. The resulting episode is due to air on August 20.
Given her complete lack of acting or drama experience, you may ask how this all came about. We like to think the Rotorua Daily Post had a cameo part to play.
Back in January 2014 we reported how Miss Adams was raising eyebrows in the traditionally male-dominated arena of speedway, as the only female driver in the F2 Midget class at Auckland's Western Springs and one of few female drivers at the speedway.
That story was noticed by Word Up's producers when they were looking for a motorsport driver for the driving episode.
They did a little more research, and Miss Adams, who also won her bout in last year's Rotovegas Charity Fight Night, then got a call. Unsurprisingly, it took some convincing before she realised it wasn't a joke.
Miss Adams said she was a bag of nerves before filming - "I am like a nobody on here with Oliver Driver" - but the "genuine and lovely" cast and crew soon put her at ease. And once filming began, she got caught up in the fun and spent the whole time laughing, she said. She is yet to decide where and with whom she will watch her TV debut.
"Part of me wants to get people together and laugh at me . . the other part is 'oh my god I don't want anyone to see it'."
And would she do more TV work if the opportunity arose?
"I just think back to how much fun it was . . . I would jump at the chance to do it again."
