Suzanne Paul has returned to Ryman screens to finish her zoom motivational talk, after experiencing a medical event during her initial session last month.
The famous informercial hostess and television presenter was talking to more than 250 Ryman residents and staff when she unexpectedly collapsed during her talk.
“I’d been going for about 50 minutes, so I was going great guns and then I woke up on the floor,” she said after recovering from the dramatic event.
Today, however, she set the record straight to the listeners who’d tuned in - “I don’t have Covid, I didn’t collapse from the vaccine and I don’t have cancer.
“I had messages from friends saying, “Why didn’t you tell us that you had cancer?” I replied saying “Uhhh that’s because I don’t!”
After initially wanting to return and finish her talk, thinking she had just fainted, Ryman staff suggested she get checked out at the hospital as it could be more serious.
The story went on to make headlines, with Suzanne telling 1News that “After many, many, many tests, it’s sort of a combination of low blood pressure, high cholesterol and a leaky heart valve… and probably a bit of stress as well.”
While it is said the most stressful things are moving houses and planning a wedding, Suzanne admits she is currently doing both! While her wedding is currently postponed due to Covid, her and her fiancé are still in the process of moving house.
Today she managed to make it back in front of the screen and returned to pick up where she left off in her inspirational talk about how she got to where she is today.
Born in Wolverhampton in the UK, Suzanne said her main motivator was just that. Wolverhampton – and not to end up back there.
“When you are born into the working class it’s not that easy to get out. However, I was not going to let poverty define me.
“People would always laugh and say, ‘What’s your next big bright idea?’ and ‘Why don’t you come home and put your name on the list for a council flat?’
Her dad even suggested she come home and marry the local butcher.
“I always knew I wanted more out of life. I wanted to make money. Almost all the girls back home wanted to just get married and have kids. That wasn’t even remotely on my radar.”
Suzanne became a saleswoman, admitting she always spent every last penny on the next big products you never knew you needed.
Twenty years later after travelling the UK, Australia and New Zealand without much success, Suzanne was still not giving up.
“Wolverhampton! I didn’t want to live on a diet of bread and jam. Sometimes without the jam!”
On her third trip to New Zealand, after spending all but $18 of her dollars on the airfare, she started to have some success.
“I met the right person who believed in me, and we had the same vision.”
She went on to build the country’s most successful direct marketing company, developing and selling iconic products as Natural Glow and the Suzanne Clip as well as launching makeup brand ‘Thin Lizzy’.
Along the way she says she has seen the highs and lows, been bankrupt, been rich, been poor, launched a clothing line, married the wrong man twice and become one of the oldest women in the world to win Dancing with the Stars.
Today, she said she is looking forward to finishing her second book. And keeping her head above ground.
“Thank you, God! Thank you, universe, for keeping me upright!”, she said.
She admitted after her collapse she just probably needs to listen to her body more, drink more water and go to bed earlier. However, she said slowing down was not even in her vocabulary.
“I know a lot of people keep saying to me, ‘slow down and take it easy’ but I don’t even understand what that means.”
One of the questions asked of her today, was how she managed to look so young and youthful and her answer was simple.
“Smile more! It lifts your whole face up and makes you look 20 years younger!”
As to what’s next for Suzanne?
“I’m speaking with the networks for some TV shows and writing the second edition of my book. I’ve always got plans.”
