Krystal Barter is one of our most influential lobbyists. The founder of preventative health charity Pink Hope counts Angelina Jolie, Margie Abbott, Bianca Rinehart and Francesca Parker Barham as "dear friends" who support her cause to raise awareness and funds for testing for the BRCA 1 gene mutation which leads to a higher risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer.
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More recently she has convinced two of the world's biggest supermodels, Rosie Huntington-Whitely and Lily Aldridge, to donate their time and highly sought after photogenic talents to grace the cover of the new issue of Elle Australia. A project that would usually cost publishers more than $100,000 in model fees alone.
The June issue, which hits news stands on Monday, will champion Pink Hope's Pinky Promise campaign. It's an initiative designed to encourage women to make promises with their friends to make their health a priority. It is one of the first times an Australian fashion publication has dedicated its cover to a philanthropic cause.
"This was the nicest shoot I've ever been on. The girls gave it everything, they worked so hard during that 12-hour day and were really moved by Krystal's story," Elle's editor in chief Justine Cullen said. "We had worked with Pink Hope before but we don't jump on a lot of causes as Elle isn't about lecturing readers, it always has to come back to entertainment, which this does. It's so great to be able to do something bigger than just throwing an awareness ribbon on a page."
Huntington-Whitely and Aldridge were Cullen and Barter's top choices for the project and both jumped at the chance to be involved.
Aldridge, a Victoria's Secret Angel who is married to Kings of Leon frontman Caleb Followill, and actor and entrepreneur Huntington-Whiteley are two of the world's most highly-paid models.
They met 10 years ago after buying apartments in the same New York building and are founding members of Taylor Swift's highly publicised "girl squad".
"It was nice to see two people work together in front of a camera who actually like each other. Watching them on set was like watching a dance," Cullen said. "After the shoot they were worried about getting to dinner with their friend 'Taylor' late as they didn't want her sitting at the table alone. We later learned it was Taylor Swift."
The pair also conducted an interview for 60 Minutes, that will air next Sunday, and made "pinky promises" to each other.
"Rosie promised to meditate more and Lily wants to put her health and happiness first," Barter said.
"Both of them are really focused on wholistic health, especially Lily as she's a mum with a four-year-old daughter," Barter added. "They were keen to get involved in order to empower their fans and women about things that actually matter, without your health you don't have much."
Meanwhile closer to home Barter is watching the election campaign closely and hopes to see preventative health on the agenda.
"With genetic testing and counselling we have the power to save lives rather than just help women once they have cancer. There is only so much a young mum of three from Sydney's Northern Beaches can do. I hope there are some changes coming at a state and federal level."
Barter launched the charity that focuses solely on hereditary cancer prevention in 2009 while in a hospital bed recovering from a pre-emptive double mastectomy – four years before Jolie's surgery. She also had one of her ovaries and both her fallopian tubes removed in 2014 after watching 25 women in her family battle cancer.
If you have concerns about your risk of hereditary cancer, visit pinkhope.org.au to talk to an online genetic counsellor that will help you assess your risk.
