Cassie, the sweet, shy Alabama native who won the hearts of her housemates with her story of poverty, abuse and alcoholism has graduated in triumph from STARTING OVER (syndicated, check local listings for time and station), the acclaimed real-life daytime television drama.
Produced by the creators of THE REAL WORLD and THE SIMPLE LIFE, STARTING OVER has recently been nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards.
Cassie (last names of cast withheld) came to the attention of TV producers during a casting call held in Birmingham. Twelve years sober, Cassie had overcome alcoholism and an impoverished, abusive childhood. She came into the STARTING OVER house with a desire to find the son she gave up for adoption years ago - something she had done before she became sober, and a source of deep shame ever since.
Under the guidance of the STARTING OVER Life Coaches Rhonda Britten and Lyanla Vanzant, and Consulting Psychologist Dr. Stan J. Katz, Cassie soon came to realize that she suffered from incredibly low self-esteem. While in the STARTING OVER house she learned to forgive herself and now Cassie graduates at peace with her past, full of hope for the future, and confident that she and her son will be re-united eventually.
With her graduation behind her, Cassie has returned to the Birmingham area, and has vowed to take and pass the GED exam. As her graduation gift from STARTING OVER, Cassie was serenaded by her hero, musician John Davidson, and she received a package of GED tutoring sessions, and a scholarship for a nursing degree, a career she decided to pursue while in the STARTING OVER house.
The "STARTING OVER IN AMERICAN TOUR" a personal appearance tour by the show´s Life Coaches Rhonda Britten and Iyanla Vanzant, arrives in Birmingham at the Century Plaza Mall on Saturday March 26th at 2:00pm. Recent graduate Cassie is expected to attend.
Additionally, a STARTING OVER casting call is planned for Wednesday, March 30th from 10:00am to 5:00pm at the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel. More details on both of these events are at www.startingovertv.com.
STARTING OVER features a group of women living together in a Hollywood Hills home and striving to improve their lives. The daily one-hour, real-life drama follows a diverse and ever-changing group of women as they attempt to make extraordinary changes in their lives - all while living under the same roof.
Each woman in the STARTING OVER cast is expected to reside in the STARTING OVER house for six to twelve weeks, depending on the scope of her "project" and her rate of progress toward her goal. Those women who achieve their goals graduate in triumph. Those who falter can be asked to leave the house.
