What a month it's been for the 2025 Wollongong Citizen of the Year, Malika Elizabeth Reese. Fresh from a week-long stint performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Malika has now made it big on national television, winning on the hit ABC quiz show, Hard Quiz.

At Edinburgh, Malika and her stage partner, Stanwell Tops' Lillian Rodrigues-Pang, took their sell-out Australian show, Church of the Clitori, to the biggest fringe festival in the world where they wowed audiences with their performances.

The Edinburgh Fringe summed it up this way: "Two smart, unapologetically funny, post-menopausal women in an immersive, laugh-out-loud show, satirising power and institutions and tackling anatomy and sexuality. An experience both joyful and subversive."

Not content with her on-stage success, Malika, who describes herself as a "quiz show nut", decided to enter the hilarious Hard Quiz, hosted by Gold Logie winner, comedian Tom Gleeson.

This wasn't her first experience with television quiz shows; it was actually her fifth. Malika appeared on Think Tank (2018), The Chase (2022), Mastermind (2023) and The 1% Club (2024), in which her daughter won $33,000. "I just love trivia," Malika said.

Malika was selected to appear on Hard Quiz after an online audition and the episode she appeared on aired on Wednesday, August 13, but was actually filmed last October.

She chose the 1987 American adventure comedy film, The Princess Bride, as her expert subject. "It was such fun doing a deep dive into the movie. It's so well loved, and one of the most quoted movies ever."

Malika worked her way through the preliminary knockout rounds to reach the final two, and she was "thrilled" to finally be presented with the famous prize, the Big Brass Mug. She's been using it to store bits and pieces at her Port Kembla home, where it takes pride of place in her dining room.

There was great banter on the show, as the chemistry between Malika and host Tom Gleeson delighted the live audience. "Tom is just so funny," she said.

So after being named the 2025 Wollongong Citizen of the Year in February, performing at the world-famous Fringe in Edinburgh, and winning on Hard Quiz, what's next for Malika Reese?

"I have a dream in the back of my head that I'd love to be a television talk show host, especially as a female talk show host."

Knowing Malika's remarkable drive and desire to succeed, you'd never bet against her one day achieving that goal.