Tears & Triumph - Hollie's Medical Miracle

The singer reveals a terrifying cancer diagnosis that rocked her wha¯nau – and the extraordinary recovery that inspires her

- Florence Henderson

For Kiwi singer-songwriter Hollie Smith, music is a family affair. Not only is the star’s father Paul an accomplished rock guitarist and singer, but her stepdad Steve McDonald is also an internationally celebrated Celtic musician and composer.

While both father figures influenced Hollie’s musical background in her early years, the 38-year-old Aucklander’s stepdad recently became an inspiration to the singer in a different way after making a miraculous recovery from a terminal cancer diagnosis.

Steve, now 71, came into Hollie’s life when the singer was eight, after meeting her mum Jocelyn through a running club.

“Quite shortly into their relationship, we had to move out of our house,” Hollie remembers. “Steve had a little place in Milford that we all crammed ourselves into. It was strange as we didn’t know each other particularly well before we all moved in together. And Steve also has three children, quite similar in age to me and my older sister, so we were very much establishing that new family situation.”

But amid the adjustment, Steve and Hollie found a common bond in music. “I’ve always had a recording studio at home,” explains Steve. “Jocelyn said, ‘Why don’t you record Hollie singing some carols as Christmas presents for the relatives?’ Hollie started singing and I thought, ‘Oh, my God, this girl’s got something going here!’ She had serious talent, even at eight years old.”