In the late 1980s Hellriegel formed the band Cassandra's Ears with Dunedin bandmates Flick Rhind (bass), Zan Wright (backing vocals), Vanessa Anich (drums) and Leanne Ibell (guitar).

[3][4] The band played local gigs, toured New Zealand, wrote more material, and eventually released two EPs, Private Wasteland in 1988 and Your Estimation in 1990.

[citation needed] In 1999, she joined the Alan Duff Charitable Foundation Duffy Books in Homes programme as a celebrity spokesperson.

[citation needed] In 2000, she appeared in the New Zealand television show Street Legal and in 2001 she became involved in a collaboration with Tom Blaxland called Project Runway.

[citation needed] In early 2009 Hellriegel went into Roundhead Studios in Auckland to record a third album with a line-up of musicians including producer Wayne Bell, Nick Gaffaney on drums, Brett Adams and Ben Fulton on guitar, Eddie Rayner and Michael Larsen on piano/keyboards, and Mark Hughes on bass.

The album is a collection of previously unreleased material – demos, live sessions and studio work from 1990–2000 which Hellriegel had remastered from DAT and cassette recordings.

"Sportsman of the Year" was composed of a studio album and book of the same name, and was also serialised as podcasts, produced by Radio New Zealand and presented by Hellriegel.