When Pia Miranda was crowned the winner of Australian Survivor in 2019, she unfairly became the target of online trolls.
“It’s not uncommon for female Survivor players to experience an intense pile-on and it felt horrible,” the 51-year-old actress tells Woman’s Day.
“I thought ‘I’m a grown woman with a support network, imagine if this is happening to a teenager who doesn’t have those resources?’ When you experience bullying it’s absolutely traumatising.”
So when Pia was asked to become an ambassador for the anti-bullying charity Dolly’s Dream in 2020, Pia jumped at the chance to help make a difference, especially for her own kids Lily, 14, and Jimmy, 11.
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“I wanted to find a charity that was smaller and could use more attention and be able to work with people hands on to make a difference,” Pia says.
“It’s been such a fulfilling experience and I’m really proud to be an ambassador.”
A POWERFUL TOOL
The Looking for Alibrandi star says her work with Dolly’s Dream has armed her with information to help her children deal with bullies.
“I lead by example and explain that if anyone says something negative to me online, I just block and delete.”
“That’s a really powerful tool because it takes the power away from the abuser.”
She says it’s crucial parents normalise talking to their kids about bullying, both online and in the playground.
“Making kids feel empowered to stand up for someone who might be bullied is a really great thing,” she says.
Pia currently plays the devoutly religious Anna in Stan’s drama series Invisible Boys, set against the backdrop of the 2017 same-sex marriage plebiscite.
She enjoyed playing the “wonderfully evil” mum.
And despite loving Survivor, she has no plans to return.
“I don’t like the idea of going to my grave with my torch snuffed, and I don’t think anyone’s going to fall for my tricks twice,” she laughs.
