It’s the inspiring story that left The Voice star Jess Mauboy in tears on stage – and fellow judges Guy Sebastian, Jason Derulo and Rita Ora clearly emotional.
War veteran Chris Hodder performed in the third Blind Auditions episode of the hit Channel Seven show on Tuesday night, taking to the stage with his dog, Bella.
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The 60-year-old Canberra singer revealed that Bella – a PTSD Veterans Support Dog – came into his life 18 months ago after a long struggle with issues resulting from his years of service.
“I served in the military for 30 years, I did multiple tours overseas,” he said.
“Bella came into my life so about a year and a half ago, and she’s changed my life.
The Voice judge Jess Mauboy was emotional after hearing Chris’ story. Credit: Seven
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“Often, when I do sleep, a lot of times I have bad nights and when I have bad nights, she wakes me up. She wakes me up and helps me.”
Chris admitted that his PTSD led to significant health issues that almost ended his dreams of becoming a singer.
“I spent a lot of time overseas on deployments,” he explained.
“You’re living in hostile environments, you’re confronted with a lot of stuff that just changes your life.
“PTSD, you know, it eats at you. For me, I didn’t sleep – because when you do sleep, then you start to dream and dreams turn into nightmares.
“I was grinding my teeth so badly that I wore out the sockets in my jaws. So both jaws were replaced.
A teary Jess hugs Chris after his audition. Credit: Seven
“That nearly forced me to stop singing because now I can’t move my jaw forward and I can’t open my mouth as far as I could before.
“But music brings me a lot of happiness. And I want to share happiness as much as I can with everyone.”
The Voice judges were moved by the “amazing” ways that Bella had helped Chris – and his inspiring story.
“I think we’re giving Bella a lot of love, but the reason that you need Bella is because of the sacrifice that you’ve made and so I just want to thank you and honour you,” Guy said, his eyes filled with tears.
“Because that is a huge sacrifice. And also, thank you for that beautiful singing voice.”
The Voice contestant Chris Hodder. Credit: Seven
Jess then broke down in tears, her voice quivering as she spoke to Chris.
“I think [about] what you’ve done today and bringing that message to light,” she said.
“I was just listening to you know, obviously, to the story that you were sharing and just thinking about so many others that don’t get that support.
“So an incredible message and an important one – so that everyone knows and can help and support.
“And thank you, thank you.”
Chris’ PTSD support dog, Bella. Credit: Seven
Chris responded by praising Bella – who he described as “his guardian angel” – and the ways that dogs like her can help other returned service men and women.
“Bella changed my life and there are a lot of vets out there who are struggling,” he said.
“And the time and money that goes into this angel is worth every cent if we save one veteran.”
An emotional Jess then got up and gave Chris a hug on stage, barely able to talk as she said “Thank you so much.”
Chris’ story moved Jess to tears. Credit: Seven
Judges Guy, Rita and Jason then joined the pair on stage, showering Bella with affection as well.
After Chris left the stage, Guy said: “Man, dogs are amazing.”
Jess agreed, saying: “They are. My dog, Leo, he’s changed my life. Just the way I look at life.”
Guy added: “And the fact they can save …”
“They can save someone,” Jess said.
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