Being a “foster kid”, former Neighbours star Zima Anderson says she felt right at home being “just a number in the system” on SAS Australia.
“When you’re a foster child, you’re the only one who’s on your side,” Zima, 25, tells TV WEEK. “You have to be independent, so I felt comfortable being a nobody [on SAS Australia].”
Zima’s mum suffers from schizophrenia.
(Image: Supplied)Growing up with a mother who has schizophrenia, Zima had a very different upbringing to her classmates, being taken into care from a young age.
“It was difficult to talk to my friends about it, because a lot of people don’t understand mental illness,” she says. “Then judgment comes along with it.”
Zima believes the difficult young years, when she was exposed to lots of emotion, developed her “superpower” of being empathetic and understanding.
Her partner Ricky is one of her biggest supporters.
(Image: Supplied)Will her mum be watching her efforts on SAS Australia? Zima can’t be sure.
“It depends if she’s going through a good or bad spell,” she says.
Zima doesn’t want sympathy for her story, rather to show people that “it doesn’t matter where you come from, you can do anything you put your mind to”.
Her partner Ricky is one of her biggest supporters, and when she’s pushing herself too hard, helps her adopt a softer side.
“He’s very much a joker, and more playful than I am,” Zima says. “He helps me take things less seriously.”
The actress is currently working on a project – which she’s keeping under wraps for now – that will see her on our screens soon. Meanwhile, she says she’s looking forward to the next chapter of her life.
“I’m dying to be a mum,” she reveals. “We [she and Ricky] can’t wait to get married and have kids.”
