How Colin Mathura- Jeffree paid back kindness with a smile

Colin Mathura Jeffree

Man-about-town and TV personality Colin Mathura-Jeffree took the kindness of an acquaintance and paid it back in spades during lockdown.

A year ago Mathura-Jeffree lost his mother, Rosalie, his biggest career supporter.

A few weeks before lockdown, his gardener Paul called him to say he couldn't come because of rain.

"Paul is such a lovely man and asked how I was and I paused then said, 'I feel sad because I'm missing my mum'. He then asked if I was okay and I said 'yes I'm fine' before hanging up the phone," says Mathura-Jeffree.

"Within 20 minutes I was startled by really loud knocking on my front door and it was Paul. He was worried by my apathy, so he rushed to check in on me in case it was leading to catastrophe. He wasn't taking any chances."

The former New Zealand's Next Top Model judge was moved by the kindness and thought hard about what he might do to show his appreciation .

"I had the honour of cutting the ribbon to open the Howick Village Denture Studio by the most fabulously glamorous Leah Taylor and I waived my appearance fee to get some of Paul's teeth fixed, some were not there at all and I can tell you he is now beaming about the results and smiling ear to ear."

"It was my small way of saying thank you for looking out for me," he says.