Holly Matthews is coming home to Newcastle with one clear mission, to help people be 'the best version' of themselves and give them tools and techniques that could potentially change their life, as she hosts self development event Restival in the heart of the city.
It was back at the turn of the millennium that Holly first shot to TV fame as one of the most recognisable faces in the later years of legendary Tyneside shot series Byker Grove. After leaving the Grove and 'doing a PJ and Duncan' by landing a chart hit, Holly went onto star in another BBC show, Waterloo Road, but is now best known for being a life coach, acclaimed author and the founder of The Happy Me Project, an initiative which has seen her launch online coaching, a successful podcast and land a best selling book on Amazon.
Holly is now based in Coventry but will be back on home turf on Saturday, April 22 as Restival takes over The Royal Station Hotel, with Holly being joined by celebrity guests including 911's Lee Brannan, now forging out a successful career as a personal trainer and Big Brother winner Anthony Hutton, who runs his own barbers and has been very candid about his mental health struggles after becoming a household name on the reality show its hey-day.
As well as being a firm believer that the North East still 'gets left out of so much stuff," Holly knows from her own family that people's attitude up here is very much to 'just get on with things' or laugh it off, rather than open up on how they're really feeling and any struggles they're going through.
"Finding the humour in things can be a good coping mechanism," she explained. "But it's OK to be vulnerable, it's not a weakness at all to admit that you're struggling.
"When people come to an event like Restival, I don't ask 'how are you?' I do it on like a 1-10 basis; so if someone's normally at a 7 but are feeling like a 2, I get to the bottom of why that is. It's something I do with my two girls and it opens up conversations on how they're doing and what we can do to make them feel better."
Restival is billed as 'a full day of talks, activities and immersing yourself in tools to help you feel great 'and elaborating on her aims for the evert, Holly commented: "This is an event for people like Dave, the builder from Newcastle to come to, it's not some expensive retreat to Bali that only middle class women can afford.
"IT's all about helping people to the best version of themselves they possibly can be. I've had people walk into my events with high levels of anxiety and have sat there silent for the whole thing, but have then contacted me to say that the experience has been life changing for them.
"I want people to come to Restival with an open mind and to walk away feeling good about themselves. There will be so much to get involved in and loads to take away from it."
*Tickets for Restival are on sale now from Eventbrite and priced from £55*
Other speakers at the event, hosted by TV's Dan Westwood, include Cat Merrick, wellbeing guide and mentor and happiness coach Helen Bartram.
The online description for Restival adds: 'Connect with others looking to feel more happy and less cr**py, this day will be full of laughs and joy. Expect the unexpected and get ready to feel inspired and energised."
*Sign up to get the latest TV and showbiz news straight to your inbox with the Chronicle TV and celebs newsletter. If you can't see the form below, click HERE
READ NEXT:
*Win a personalised Love Island merchandise bundle as new series final nears
*Dancing on Ice result sees Nile Wilson win after three way tie on final leaderboard
*BBC's Call the Midwife 'replacement' confirmed and it's an old favourite
