Bridget Hustwaite (born 10 April 1991) is an Australian radio presenter, television presenter, journalist, author, and health activist. Her debut book, ''How to Endo'', which chronicles her experiences with

endometriosis Endometriosis is a disease of the female reproductive system in which cells similar to those in the endometrium, the layer of tissue that normally covers the inside of the uterus, grow outside the uterus. Most often this is on the ovaries, fa ...

, was released on 2 March 2021.

Early life and education

Bridget Hustwaite was born in

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. Within months of Vi ...

, Victoria on 10 April 1991. Hustwaite grew up in Ballarat and in nearby Learmonth. She graduated from

Ballarat High School Ballarat High School is a government secondary school located in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. Buildings and grounds The school was originally opened on 16 April 1907 as a Continuation School located at 208 Sturt Street (directly opposite t ...

in 2008, and then studied

visual merchandising Visual Merchandising is the practice in the retail industry of optimizing the presentation of products and services to better highlight their features and benefits. The purpose of such visual merchandising is to attract, engage, and motivate the ...

at the

Swinburne University of Technology Swinburne University of Technology (often simply called Swinburne) is a public research university based in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1908 as the Eastern Suburbs Technical College by George Swinburne to serve those without acce ...

Personal life

Hustwaite resides in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

, Victoria. From 2016 to April 2021, Hustwaite was in a relationship with Matt Jennings. She now dates professional footballer Oscar McDonald.

Health issues

Hustwaite was diagnosed with stage four

on 16 August 2018, following six years of suffering intense

abdominal pain Abdominal pain, also known as a stomach ache, is a symptom associated with both non-serious and serious medical issues. Common causes of pain in the abdomen include gastroenteritis and irritable bowel syndrome. About 15% of people have a m ...

nausea Nausea is a diffuse sensation of unease and discomfort, sometimes perceived as an urge to vomit. While not painful, it can be a debilitating symptom if prolonged and has been described as placing discomfort on the chest, abdomen, or back of th ...

, and

fatigue Fatigue describes a state of tiredness that does not resolve with rest or sleep. In general usage, fatigue is synonymous with extreme tiredness or exhaustion that normally follows prolonged physical or mental activity. When it does not resolve ...

during her adolescent

menstrual The menstrual cycle is a series of natural changes in hormone production and the structures of the uterus and ovaries of the female reproductive system that make pregnancy possible. The ovarian cycle controls the production and release of eggs a ...

years. Speaking shortly after the diagnosis, Hustwaite stated:

"We need faster
diagnosis Diagnosis is the identification of the nature and cause of a certain phenomenon. Diagnosis is used in many different disciplines, with variations in the use of logic, analytics, and experience, to determine "cause and effect". In systems engin ...
, better treatments and more education and awareness about endometriosis. The fact hatthis research is being funded is a step in the right direction."

Hustwaite has used heat bags during her shifts on radio in order to minimise pain caused by the condition.

Career

In 2012, Hustwaite was the runner-up in

Channel V Australia Channel Australia was an Australian subscription television music channel that was available on Foxtel, Optus TV and Austar satellite and cable services. It was also previously available in New Zealand on TelstraSaturn's cable TV service in ...

's Presenter Search. She then began volunteering for

music journalism Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

website ''The AU Review'' as a concert reviewer, and at SYN Media in

. With SYN, a youth-run media organisation, Hustwaite presented the live music show ''1700'', which aired on television through

C31 Melbourne C31 Melbourne is a free-to-air community television channel in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its name is derived from UHF 31, the frequency and channel number reserved for analogue broadcasts by metropolitan community television stations in ...

. She went on to present radio shows ''The Hoist'' and ''Spotlight'' on SYN 90.7. In late 2015, Hustwaite was offered the role of

presenter A presenter is a person or organization responsible for the running of a public event, or someone who conveys information on media via a broadcasting outlet. Presenter may refer to: People * News presenter, person who presents news during a new ...

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greater emphasis on broad ...

's mid-dawn program. She took over from Linda Marigliano as the host of Triple J's weeknight evening show ''Good Nights'' in 2018. On 9 May 2019, Hustwaite created an endometriosis-themed

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

account, titled "Endogram", with the goal of raising awareness, sharing information and encouraging conversations about

. In early June, memes using

pun A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...

s based on Hustwaite's surname began to circulate on the

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dust ...

group "Sultanaposting". Australian pop culture website ''

Junkee Junkee is an Australian popular culture and news website run by new media company Junkee Media. It covers various topics including film, university, food, TV, politics, travel, career, health and Internet culture. Its target demographic is 18- to ...

'' labelled the memes "glorious". Following her endometriosis diagnosis, Hustwaite became an ambassador for Endometriosis Australia on 15 August. During the early stages of the

COVID-19 pandemic in Australia The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first confirmed case in Australia was identified on 25 January ...

in March 2020, she launched "Bridget Hustwaite's Saturday Night Stay In" on Instagram, a series of videos in which she interviewed Australian musicians and hosted a live acoustic performance from them. On 2 March 2021, Hustwaite released her debut book, ''How to Endo'', which chronicles her experiences with her endometriosis diagnosis. On 11 May 2022, she was announced as a jury member for Australia's entry in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2022 The Eurovision Song Contest 2022 was the 66th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Turin, Italy, following the country's victory at the with the song "" by Måneskin. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and ...

Professional work

Filmography

Podcasts

Published works

References

External links

* *
Profile
on '' The AU Review'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Hustwaite, Bridget 1991 births Australian health activists Australian women activists Australian women novelists Living people People educated at Ballarat High School People from Ballarat Swinburne University of Technology alumni Triple J announcers Australian women radio presenters