When he was approached to star on Celebrity Treasure Island, The Edge radio host Harrison Keefe had zero hesitations. Despite the gruelling challenges, the reality show offered a chance to escape burnout at work and make new pals.
“Why would you say no?” asks the Hawke’s Bay-born social media superstar, 26.
“You get to go to a beach and make friends!”
The importance of having a solid crew around him is something Harrison has newfound appreciation for following a whirlwind couple of years, which have seen him star on Shortland Street, go viral with a dance video, hang with Keith Urban and land a gig co-hosting The Edge Arvos.
“When my TikToks were taking off and I was getting acting gigs, that was the hardest time I’ve ever had, which is weird,” he muses.
“With tall-poppy syndrome, people pull you down and I lost all my friends. They were also in the entertainment industry or trying to be and they were like, ‘F**k you. We don’t want anything to do
with you.’ It was jealousy.”
A mental health low point
Harrison – who has since become besties with his fellow contestant Vinnie Bennett and former CTI star Joe Daymond, who both had similar tall-poppy experiences – confesses the situation saw him fall into depression.
After confiding in his then-partner, Harrison shared his feelings on Instagram and while he didn’t wanta “pity party”, the number of people who commented on his post lifted his mood so much that he began a series of “Motivating Mates Monday” posts.
Turning pain into purpose
He explains, “I pick somebody and show the world how amazing that person is. Taking it public has really helped me.”
Still, remaining on top of his mental health remains a challenge, especially since joining The Edge. Harrison faced a rough ride interning with the station’s promo team in his youth – he recalls a colleague telling him he had a “nice arse” and his boss accusing him of “fluffing around”.
Juggling success and pressure
Despite this, he accepted a Saturday night gig with the station, before moving on to host the afternoon show with Ash London and Yasmina Coe. Then, while juggling radio and social media, Harrison split from his girlfriend of four years and started experiencing burnout.
“I didn’t want to be around anybody and I started having panic attacks,” he shares.
“I couldn’t breathe and all this stuff was going on in my head. I love to work, and I wanted to make the most of it while I was on the rise, but finding balance is the hardest thing. “I’m producing content every day online, but then I’m also making it on the radio, where you’re acting impromptu and trying to think of what to say. If you show up sad or flat, you sound shit. I just wanted to be away from everything.”
Sneaking off to film CTI, Harrison’s colleagues were told he was taking a “mental health break”. While that was initially just a cover story, in many ways, that’s what the show has offered, especially after the relationship split.
A difficult ending
“It’s been sad and I miss my best friend, but it was becoming toxic,” he reflects.
“My main focus was working, so I’d come home, tell her about my day, then fall asleep on the couch. She was like, ‘You’ve got no time for me,’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, I don’t.’ “My life’s changed. And with the radio job, I’ve got no time for anybody. It’s sad but also freeing because I’m not letting someone down every day and upsetting them.”
One person he’s certainly not upsetting is his dad Tom, who previously told Woman’s Day about how proud he and their iwi, Ngāti Pāhauwera, are of Harrison, who is learning more about how to embrace his whakapapa.
He admits that his skin colour has made it feel harder to represent Māoridom, especially during his school and uni years.
“But I was talking to my dad about it and he was like, ‘The stereotype of Māori people is that they’re brown, but there were so many pale Māori back in the day.’ “Because of my look, I’ve found it hard, but I’ve embraced being a patupaiarehe – a Māori fairy with white skin and ginger hair!”
If you or someone you love is struggling with their mental health, please call or text 1737 at any time to speak to a trained counsellor for free.
