EXCLUSIVE: Stephanie Browitt Survived The White Island Volcano. This Is Her Mother’s Story Too.
5/17/20261 hr 39 min
In December 2019, Stephanie Browitt boarded a tour to Whakaari, also known as White Island, with her father Paul and younger sister Krystal during a family cruise through New Zealand.
At 2:11pm, the volcano erupted.
Krystal was killed on the island. Stephanie and Paul survived, but suffered catastrophic burns. Weeks later, Paul died from his injuries too.
Stephanie spent months in hospital undergoing surgeries, skin grafts and rehabilitation, while her mother Marie faced the unimaginable reality of caring for her surviving daughter while grieving both her husband and youngest child.
In the years since the eruption, Stephanie has spoken publicly about her recovery and become a powerful advocate for burns survivors and body acceptance. But Marie has rarely spoken in depth about what happened to their family — until now.
In this extraordinarily intimate and emotional conversation with Kate Langbroek, Stephanie and Marie sit down together for their most extensive interview to date, speaking candidly about survival, visible scars, grief, motherhood, survivor’s guilt, humour, resilience, and the bond that carried them through unimaginable loss.
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Out of the Ashes by Stephanie and Marie Browitt is out now.
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CREDITS:
Guest: Stephanie and Marie Browitt
Host: Kate Langbroek
Group Executive Producer: Naima Brown
Executive Producer: Bree Player
Assistant Producer: Coco Lavigne
Audio and Video Producer: Josh Green
Social Media Producer: Olivia Colman
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsMarie Browitt· Guest0:00
And I got to a hospital, and I was sat in a kitchen with no information. And I continued to ask, and they brought up Paul's name and Stephanie's name, but Krystal's name was never brought up. And I continued to ask about Krystal, and they continued to say there's no such person.
Kate Langbroek· Host0:13
[gentle music] Hello, I'm Kate Langbroek, host of No Filter, and my guests today are Stephanie and Marie Browitt. In December 2019, the Melbourne mother and daughter boarded a cruise through New Zealand with their family. During the trip, Stephanie, her father Paul, and her younger sister Krystal joined a tour to Whakaari, also known as White Island, an active volcano off the coast of New Zealand. At 2:11 PM, the volcano erupted. Krystal was killed on the island. Stephanie and her father Paul survived, but suffered catastrophic burns. Weeks later, Paul died from his injuries also. Stephanie spent months in hospital undergoing surgeries, skin grafts, and rehab, while Marie faced the unimaginable reality of caring for her surviving daughter while grieving both her husband and youngest child. But this conversation is not simply about the eruption itself. It's about what happens after survival. It's about grief, visible scars, motherhood, survivor's guilt,