Take 5 with Zan Rowe: Nov 5

In the season final of Take 5 with Zan Rowe the guest is Casey Donovan.

Casey Donovan is a powerhouse performer who brings joy to every stage and screen she graces. It’s impossible not to smile in her presence. Growing up in the public eye, hers is a story of resilience, vulnerability and finding her place.

Music was a constant companion as she rode the highs and lows, and in this episode Zan asks Casey to share her sanctuary songs. The result? Front row seats to the story of Casey’s life, laid out on a lyric sheet. Casey captured our hearts two decades ago at the age of just 16, when she was thrust into the spotlight on Australian Idol.

A reluctant entrant to the competition, Casey’s win would broadcast to 3.5 million people. Life would never be the same.

“Growing up in a spotlight where you are not the mould that society wants you to be… I’ve had to duck and weave and grow as a person and really kind of delve deep into what it is I want out of the world.”

Casey is unwaveringly generous in this conversation, sharing the heartbreaking experience of being catfished and the whiplash of instant reality fame. She tells Zan how trauma has shrouded much of her childhood in a haze.

8:30pm Tuesday on ABC.