Juliette Burton is not your standard comedian -- she's been diagnosed with at least seven different mental health conditions in her lifetime despite only recently entering her 30s.
She's officially been sectioned under the Mental Health Act and now uses her comedy as a vehicle for helping people "get a renewed sense of self-belief".
"Comedy can be really powerful to talk about these darker subjects and taboo issues," she said.
"The intention isn't to belittle people with mental health issues at all -- I mean, I'm one of them -- but to, if anything, take power out of the fear and stigma."
However, comedy is a fairly new development in Burton's life -- she was a BBC journalist, a presenter, an actress and a writer before making her first foray into being funny for a living.
"When the recession hit I couldn't find any work doing journalism, so I thought, 'Why not earn no money doing a job that I absolutely love?"
And she says there is more to her show than just making people laugh -- she wants to be a force for change, too.
"I love to hope that at least some members of my audience will leave feeling like that day is the first day of the rest of their lives, and that they are absolutely, amazingly awesome."
Her show 'Look At Me' is a docucomedy -- and with funding from the Arts Council in the UK, she was able to film a series of videos in which she appears in a number of different bodies and clothes.
The videos see her become a man, a Muslim and an old woman, all with the intention of endorsing the idea of feeling positive in your own skin.
Juliette Burton has completed two shows in Auckland, where she'll have three more nights before heading to Wellington to perform from May 10 to 14.
Newshub.
