Jacinda Ardern has expressed her admiration for the skills of a New Zealand comedian who has kept herself busy during the national lockdown by impersonating the prime minister on TikTok.

Melanie Bracewell has been in self-isolation for nearly five weeks, and after repeated comments regarding her likeness to the prime minister, decided to experiment with copying the prime minister’s makeup, hairstyle, clothes and speech.

Bracewell describes Ardern – who had led New Zealand during a terrorist attack, a deadly volcanic eruption and the coronavirus pandemic – as “the mother of the nation”.

This is my life now I guess pic.twitter.com/NH5ICFI0vk — Melanie Bracewell (@meladoodle) April 2, 2020

“Six months ago if you told me I’d be spending hours on making TikTok videos I would laugh in your face and now I’m sucked in forever,” Bracewell said on Twitter of her videos, which have gained tens of thousands of views and a strong online fanbase.

Buoyed by her success, Bracewell is now spending her time in lockdown recreating some of Ardern’s most iconic moments, including her meeting with Donald Trump, and her Vogue cover shoot.

Back at it again pic.twitter.com/JS0Biyw191 — Melanie Bracewell (@meladoodle) April 12, 2020

Ardern complimented Bracewell’s technical skill on a recent video: “You do my makeup better than I do,” the prime minister said, adding an emoji of a blushing face.

“The mother of the nation has noticed me, I am blessed” Bracewell told the BBC.

Bracewell said she may get “trapped” in the character of Ardern forever, because now they were the only videos her followers wanted to see.

“She’s so nice, I’m not even really making fun of her, I’m just trying to be her, because she’s cool,” Bracewell said. “It’s not even a parody, it’s genuinely I want to be you, you’re a hero.”

Although no political polls have been conducted under lockdown, Ardern’s leadership during the pandemic has been widely praised. Prominent public health figures have said New Zealand’s elimination strategy would not have been possible without her leadership.