‘I FELT A SPARK’
VIARNI IS ZAC’ S FIRST PICK OF THE BUNCH
He was hooked from the moment he laid eyes on the sparkle-clad stunner, so it came as little surprise that copper-haired beauty Viarni Bright was the lucky lady to receive Zac Franich’s special white rose.
The coveted “first impression” bloom gives the former model from Mt Maunganui the power to whisk the bachelor away on a one-on-one date whenever she chooses, but Viarni insists she won’t use it strategically.
“It’s not my style to steal someone’s date,” she says, “but he’s given me this rose for a reason so I’d be silly not to use it at some point.
“It’s early days, but as soon as I met Zac on that driveway, I was excited to get to know him more. I definitely felt a wee spark there and I’m excited to see where it goes.”
The early frontrunner on the Three series has every reason to be on cloud nine, but three years ago life wasn’t quite so rosy for Viarni, when she was diagnosed with incurable Crohn’s disease.
Doctor’s discovered the condition – which causes swelling and inflammation of the digestive system and bowels – shortly before her 19th birthday, which she spent recovering in bed.
Days earlier, Viarni was admitted to the emergency department at Tauranga Hospital, suffering chronic diarrhoea, abdominal pains dizziness and blood loss.
“After waiting around, having blood tests and IVs put in, I was told I’d be in at least for the night and was due for a blood transfusion as my haemoglobin levels had dropped scarily low,” she tells. “I had a bit of a breakdown at that point.
“The bleeding stopped and I was discharged after five days, on the night before my 19th. It wasn’t until a week later that I had an MRI and they found 18cm of my bowel affected, and diagnosed me with Crohn’s disease. It took me a while to get my head around it.”
While there is no known cure, Viarni chooses to manage her condition the natural way by eating healthily, drinking very little and exercising regularly.