Her megawatt smile has been a constant on our television screens for more than 20 years, and now TV presenter Shelley Craft, 41, shares her pearls of wisdom with Yours magazine.
On appearance
Working on Saturday Disney, [I learned] kids are so blatantly honest and you can’t hide anything from them, so as presenters we were all very aware to be an open book with everything!
I think that was probably where I developed a healthy opinion of myself and who I am, and I’ve tried to stick with that ever since; I’m the girl next door and I’m fine with that.
Now, more importantly, I try to portray this to my own girls and show them that you are who you are, work with what you’ve got, everyone’s got their own gifts and be a good person – that’s all I strive to be.
On pets
We have a Rhodesian ridgeback dog called Aldo and he’s basically my son! I always insist on having pets as I think they’re a huge part of growing up and keeping a semi-sane state of mind.
Growing up, I always had horses, cats and dogs; the whole menagerie.
On her passion
I’ve always been a bit of a tinkerer in my own home – I’ve moved probably 20 times in 22 years and a lot of them have been little reno projects.
I think my passion comes from seeing my parents, Sally and Mike, renovate when I was younger. I remember Mum and Dad doing lighting plans and meeting with architects, and the smell of Selleys Putty is one of those things you get used to.
On her pet peeve
I’ve got lots but I try not to sweat the small stuff.
A dirty fridge really upsets me, along with intolerant people, obnoxious people… but I try to keep them to myself!
On relaxing
I don’t like to leave the house too much but we get to the beach whenever we can, and it’s a lovely community here in Byron Bay [NSW] with plenty to keep us busy. I like doing whatever the girls want to do, riding bikes or going to the park.
Also, eating out is our thing because I’m not the greatest cook. Travelling through my twentie’s with The Great Outdoors meant I missed that side of growing up, but [my husband] Christian is a great cook; so it’s his kitchen and he’s welcome to it!
On motherhood
The girls have taught me so much about myself and life in general.
Eadie is five and Milla is about to turn seven, and every day I look at her and still see the little baby who was my first child.
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is don’t hide anything from them and be completely open, because it’s important that they feel safe and comfortable, and are happy to talk about anything to their parents.
On her career
I’m a jack-of-all-trades! No, I’ve been really lucky that I’ve had so many great projects come my way and been able to do so many different styles of TV, without ever having to commit to any particular genre.
From Saturday Disney to the Olympics, then Domestic Blitz to the madness that is The Block; it’s been a varied career, that’s for sure! To be offered a show like The Block and then work on it for seven years is incredible.
I try to give the contestants advice on what the average Aussie buyer is looking for.
On travel
Do as much travel as you possibly can because it broadens your mind, increases your tolerances and gives you a much better understanding of the world and, more importantly, of yourself.
On love
I didn’t know Christian Sergiacomi (below) was the love of my life when I met him – we worked together on The Great Outdoors for many years.
It was just one of those things where, after a certain amount of time as friends, you realise there’s something more there and I knew he’d be the father of my kids. We both grew up in Brisbane in a similar neighbourhood, went to schools close to each other, had a lot of mutual friends and started at Channel Seven in Brisbane the same year.
We’ve been together about 10 years. He’s an awesome dad, and to watch your partner with your kids is a wonderful thing.
On the future
I’ve always dreamed of [hosting] a live studio audience entertainment-style show, like an Aussie Ellen DeGeneres! Australia’s Funniest Home Videos was sort of like that, with real people sitting in the crowd being taken on this journey with me, and that was such a wonderful experience.
There’s nothing like the feeling of live TV in front of an audience, and going live to a home viewer.
