Former postie Suzy Heazlewood jumped at the chance to appear on television, to endorse a beauty product that helped her feel younger and more beautiful.
But the Aucklander quickly discovered that there’s an ugly side to being in the public eye.
As the face of Puraz, a collagen capsule designed to help men and women look younger, the mother of four adult children appeared on infomercials, saying lines including,
“People tell me that I look 10 years younger,” and, “My son’s friends think I’m his girlfriend.”
But Suzy was shocked at the backlash she received, which included online bullying and constant public attacks from “pram-pushing mums”.
In a Weekly exclusive, Suzy (48) reveals how the experience made her feel suicidal – and forced her to move to Australia to escape the hatred.
“I was a real person, I wasn’t a model or an actress. I was Suzy the postie. I was very proud that I was a woman off the street, who stood up for a product that had given me great results. But the experience turned into a nightmare. A number of women hated me. I felt like a lamb to the slaughter.”
Suzy, who’d been a postie since she was 17, originally took Puraz capsules to build confidence. She had once suffered from Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis that brings on a “droopy face”.
“After I recovered, I was obsessed about my look, and always found ways where I could improve it,” she says.
Seven years ago, she responded to an ad from the Puraz owners, who were looking for someone to front their infomercials.
“They asked me to do it. I was so excited. To be a face of a product that I loved was huge,” she says.
Although Suzy was paid for her services, she still had to deliver mail full time, to make ends meet.
Postie Suzy was excited to be asked to front a campaign for Puraz skincare, but the public reaction to the ads was far worse than she could have anticipated.
After three years of appearing in TV advertisements for the product, and infomercials on TV One’s Good Morning, it all turned sour, when Suzy discovered the cruel comments people were online.
She was described as the “Ugly Puraz bitch”, and called things such as “a freak” and “Bush Barbie”.
“It changed my whole world. I had been sheltered and thought everyone was beautiful. My rose-coloured glasses were knocked off,” she explains.
But the abuse wasn’t only online – Suzy was hassled in public. Women made cruel remarks about her, always in earshot, at the supermarket – and even at the hospital, where Suzy was tending to her sick son.
She breaks down in tears, describing how it got so bad, her thoughts turned to suicide.
“The name-calling was so awful, I began to feel that I didn’t belong in this world,” she says. “But I couldn’t do that to my family.”
Husband Dean (55), a musician who was a member of popular Kiwi band The Mockers, says the abuse affected the whole family. He had to jump off stage several times during gigs, to stop women pushing Suzy around on the dance floor.
“I have seen her go from a bubbly person to an insecure and scared one, who feels she doesn’t belong anywhere. She can hardly trust anyone, except family and very close friends,” he explains.
Suzy believes she would never have suffered such harsh treatment if she hadn’t put herself out there to be judged and scrutinised.
Husband Dean has had to step in when Suzy was attacked in public.
“If I had been a presenter and not a happy customer, I don’t think I would have got as much flak. But because I actually took the product, it made a difference.”
“I thought that other women would relate to me, because I was normal – I was a postie with hat hair. But they absolutely hated me – and I just don’t understand why.”
In 2011, Suzy and Dean couldn’t take any more, and decided to move to Australia, leaving their four children in New Zealand. Suzy settled into her new home, and loved the fact that nobody knew who she was.
She started a new job on the Gold Coast, demonstrating make-up in malls and working at a local pharmacy. She also continued to visit New Zealand in her role for Puraz.
“I didn’t want to be a bloody victim. I’m a strong woman. I’ve pushed around a bike laden with mail for 29 years,” she says.
With the encouragement of her family, Suzy finally quit her role fronting the beauty product last month. She is slowly regaining her confidence and can’t wait for New Zealand TV audiences to forget her as the Puraz lady and stop the abuse.
“I know what’s important in my life now – my family and close friends. They have saved me. They’ve cried with me and always been there,” she says, looking at her husband.
“I’ve closed the door. I’m not the Puraz lady any more. I’m starting to heal. I’m strong enough to handle anything now. And all those people who have hated me and judged me without even knowing me, I feel sad for them.”
Photos: David White • Hair & Make-up: Edyta Koscielecki
