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Red Beach residents Leisel Shepherd and her family say only good things have come from being featured in the reality/documentary series Down for Love, which is currently on TV.
The show follows people with intellectual disabilities, including Down Syndrome, as they meet potential partners.
Twenty-three-year-old Leisel, who has Down Syndrome, and her family were confident from the start that they were in good hands when opening up their private lives.
The programme was made by Attitude Pictures, which focuses on content that fosters understanding about mental health and disability.
Leisel’s mother, Brenda, says she heard about the company’s search for young people with Down Syndrome to take part in the programme while she was fundraising for the Upside Downs Education Trust. This, as well as the involvement of the NZ Down Syndrome Association, gave her confidence that it would be handled with care.
“We agreed as a family to take part,” Brenda says. “It was something really different for us, but a good experience. A lot of people around here know Leisel anyway, and we’ve had very positive comments about the show.”
Leisel has also been interviewed on Seven Sharp, and featured in Women’s Weekly, all of which Brenda says has led to an increase in her daughter’s self-confidence. More people are looking at Leisel’s Facebook page, which is called Leisel’s Life.
“It was also good exposure for her Nutrimetics business,” Brenda says.
Filming began in March last year but delays due to Covid-19 meant that the show did not go to air until this month.
Leisel says it was exciting, and a bit strange, to see herself on TV recently meeting Braydon Pettigrew, 21, for the first time.
The couple liked each other from the start and have been dating for a year now. Leisel says they cook together and go out to have fun. As Braydon lives on the other side of Auckland, they also keep in touch via TikTok.
Brenda says one of the best things about the show was the opportunity for Leisel to find someone special.
“We all deserve that,” she says, adding that it will be interesting to see the relationship grow.
“The show included a counsellor so that Leisel could ask any questions regarding relationships and intimacy, which was very helpful.”
Down For Love screens Mondays on TVNZ2.
