Fed: Model drained after winning singing contest

AAP General News (Australia)
08-06-2006
Fed: Model drained after winning singing contest

By Erin McWhirter, Television Writer

MELBOURNE, Aug 6 AAP - Television personality and model Erica Heynatz says she is physically
and emotionally drained following her It Takes Two victory.

So overwhelmed was she by the win that she fled the post-show party in tears and retreated
to her dressing room for some space and time alone.

"It's been completely overwhelming from start to finish," she told AAP later in the evening.

"I had a lot to prove to myself going into this show.

"Everybody goes through different patches in their lives and I thought I wasn't doing
enough, or pushing myself enough, so I set this challenge for myself.

"It's been tough."

Heynatz, who was partnered by opera singer David Hobson, beat swim star Sarah Ryan
and her partner Guy Sebastian to take out the first series.

Each couple sang three songs during the two-hour show, which included a performance
by popular American singer Nick Lachey and an exclusive peek at Sebastian's brand new
single, Taller, Better, Stronger.

Over the years, Heynatz has hosted, presented and worked her life in front of a camera
to make a living.

However she says singing in front of a live audience on national television exposed
her inner emotions completely.

"It's so much more difficult than you would ever imagine," she said.

"It's confronting on every level and you can't hide anything in your voice.

"This was about me doing something for myself and learning.

"There were incredible moments of self-doubt but I feel a huge, huge sense of accomplishment
because I worked really, really hard."

It Takes Two is filmed in the same studio as Seven's smash hit Dancing With the Stars
and couples well-known personalities with ten of the nation's top recording artists in
a vocal battle.

Heynatz and Hobson won by a combination of viewer voting and a judges score.

Sebastian said he wasn't disappointed at coming in runner-up.

The 2003 winner of Australian Idol said the last three years have been a rollercoaster
journey for him and showcasing his new single tonight was terrifying.

"I was more nervous than I have ever been in my whole life," he said.

"It's been such a long time since I have done a new song and with it I'm entering a
new phase and you want it to be of a high standard and nail it."

Taller, Better, Stronger is an inspirational ballad which Sebastian says is about a
"dark" period in his life.

"It's just been a bit of a darker patch over the last year," he said.

"As men, we don't analyse much and a lot of stuff has happened to me since 2003.

"My career happened and I was on Idol and got propelled into this life where there
are great things and things that you aren't prepared for.

"It hit me all at once on a writing and personal level... I was lost for awhile. I
wrote for about a year and kept nothing."

"It was just a challenging time."

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