‘I knew I had to be there for him’: Alex and Mike King’s treasured moments

Alex King was just a little girl when her famous father Mike King was battling addiction, depression, and a life-changing stroke. She didn’t fully understand her confusion, nor did she realize that she too would experience mental health issues, but she wanted to do whatever she could to help her “best friend of hers.”

“I’ve been there for him through a lot of tragedies, like when he had his stroke,” Alex reflects.

“I was about 8 years old when everything was really bad for Dad, so he didn’t understand what was going on, but I knew I had to be there for him. He was open and honest with us, and gave us ways to help him. My way was to make him a cup of tea, I still do, to this day.

These days, 24-year-old Alex is doing more than making cups of tea to help and honor comedian turned mental health advocate Mike and other New Zealanders dealing with mental issues. She is putting aside her own struggles to appear on Celebrity Treasure Island, in a bid to win $100,000 for a youth initiative that is part of Mike’s mental health organization, I Am Hope.

It’s a brave move considering the anxiety struggles the musician, actress, and former radio host grapple with when it comes to being the center of attention.

“I’ve struggled with anxiety most of my life,” shares Alex, whose mother is Mike’s ex, Rosemary Nathan.

“It’s been a constant up and down, especially working in radio for six years and experiencing the spotlight outside of dad. It’s been a struggle and you learn to grow up very quickly.”

“And working in radio, you have to be very honest. Going through breakups and personal struggles, and having to put that on the air, some of my friends were like, ‘Why would you tell the nation that?’ But if someone else is struggling, you’ll find them identifiable.”

Alex adds that following a different career and lifestyle than her peers has also increased her anxiety.

“I’m still young, I’m growing and learning, but compared to my peers, it’s different because they’re not doing the same thing, so I feel isolated from my friends. They have normal nine-to-five jobs and they finished uni, and I did all the things you do when you finish high school, but I did the complete opposite: I ended up speaking stupid things for a living!”

One person who has always supported Alex is Mike, and after she was signed to Treasure Island, the producers invited him to join in the fun, which means Alex is now competing against his father to win the series, which was filmed in Northland. While there is an “unspoken alliance” between the two, they can also be fiercely competitive.

“If he wins something, he’ll come up and say, ‘Loser!’ and I’ll rub it in my face, but I’ll do it right back. We’d love to merge on the show. It would be fun to see us working together as well as working separately. It’s exciting because we’re the first family dynamic on the show.”

Both Alex and Mike hope to win prize money that will help those experiencing mental health problems: Mike chose Gumboot Friday, an initiative started by I Am Hope, while Alex chose the charity’s youth ambassador programme, in the one that the young people visit the schools giving mental support. health talks.

“It’s different than when you see dad give talks because he’s an adult, so for kids it’s like seeing a kind of father figure, which is less relatable. With the youth ambassador program, they’re seeing kids, teenagers or young adults who are going through things similar to them, so they can relate better.

As he continues on his own journey of finding confidence and fulfillment, Alex has left radio to pursue his dreams of acting and music.

A self-confessed “perfectionist” with her music, she teases that she has been working with “really great” producers as well as New Zealand artists.

Having previously released the song When It’s Over, inspired by overcoming an abusive relationship, he hopes to release new music in the next three months.

Alex, who is single but looking for “Mr Right,” has also been on the audition circuit.

“Lots of auditions and hopefully some projects I can’t say yet, but it’s very exciting!” she gets excited.

• Celebrity Treasure Island screens Monday to Wednesday at 7:30pm on TVNZ 2.