After being crowned Jungle Queen and winning $100,000 for charity, Concetta chose to donate the prize to Full Stop Australia, the organisation that helped her family escape domestic violence when she was growing up.

As a child, Concetta lived in a home where violence and fear were constant. Eventually, her mother made a secret call to a domestic violence hotline and began planning what the family would later describe as their escape.

Concetta, her mother and her sister left their home, fled across the country and started again under new names.

In this conversation with Kate Langbroek, Concetta speaks openly about the childhood she kept secret for years, the moment everything changed for her family, and the complicated journey of rebuilding a life after violence.

She also reflects on the strange path that led her to comedy, the inner critic that still lives in her head, and the joy she has found in finally being able to live freely.

If this conversation raises anything for you, support is available. Full Stop Australia runs a 24-hour confidential helpline for people affected by sexual, domestic and family violence. Details are in the show notes.

You can listen to Concetta Caristo on triple j Breakfast.

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CREDITS:

Guest: Concetta Caristo

Host: Kate Langbroek

Group Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Executive Producer: Bree Player

Assistant Producer: Coco Lavigne

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

Video Producer: Josh Green

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.