EXCLUSIVE: Why Sophie Monk is “honoured” to be the 2022 TV WEEK Logies ambassador

There’s a reason Sophie Monk is the darling of the Australian television industry.

Standing on stage to announce the nominees for the 2022 TV WEEK Logie Awards on Queensland’s Gold Coast on June 19, she reads out the names of the actors and TV shows up for recognition.

As she works her way down the list, she accidentally reads, “Pause, TV WEEK Logies slide” instead of the nominee’s name. As giggles fill the room, the bubbly 42-year-old can’t help but laugh along at her slip.

Thanks to COVID, it’s been three years since the Logies were last held, so there’s an extra energy in the venue, the beautiful Burleigh Pavilion.

There are nerves, excitement – and a slight feeling of being a bit out of place after so long without any large-scale events.

But Sophie’s blooper quickly dissipates any tension and, as she grins on stage, one can’t help but wonder if she’d planned the whole thing all along.

This year, Sophie is on stage as the 2022 TV WEEK Logies Ambassador, and she’s beyond honoured to be the face of the event.

To see the full list of 2022 Logies nominees, click here.

“I was so flattered!” Sophie tells TV WEEK during the nominations event. “I love the Logies so much, and I’ve obviously been going for about 100 years. They haven’t had an ambassador for a while, so I’m stoked.”

With a career in the entertainment industry that spans more than two decades, few candidates are more qualified to fill the role.

After all, Sophie has just about done it all.

From getting her start on TV talent show Popstars Australia when she was only 19, singer Sophie has added actress, model, radio host, television presenter, judge and reality star – she won Celebrity Apprentice Australia in 2015 and was the Bachelorette on The Bachelorette Australia in 2017 – to an impressive career résumé.

Now, she’s adding Logies Ambassador to the list. It’s a fitting honour considering how many Logies ceremonies she’s attended.

“Wow, I’ve been going to the Logies for more than 20 years – is that too many?” Sophie quips.

But this year is a special one for the versatile star. This time, she’s attending not just to support the Australian entertainment industry: the show she hosts, Beauty And The Geek, has been nominated for the Logie for Most Outstanding Reality Program.

“It’s incredible – I don’t think I’ve ever been on a show that’s been nominated,” she enthuses.

“It’s a massive deal, because this show is so special to me. Its format was so different before, and they’ve taken the brand and made it something so much deeper.”

Beauty And The Geek pairs beautiful women with often dorky, intelligent men. Together, they compete in challenges designed to help them better themselves intellectually and emotionally.

“Even though it’s comical, it tells a beautiful story,” Sophie says. “There are a lot of shows that are love stories, but Beauty And The Geek isn’t focused on that – it’s focused on the personal growth of both the Beauties and the Geeks.”

It’s not just Sophie’s career reaching new heights. In April, she married partner Joshua Gross in an intimate ceremony.

The pair met after being seated next to each other on a flight. Four years later, instead of the fanfare of a large guest list, the couple chose a private affair – just the two of them – at their home on NSW’s Central Coast.

Sophie calls it incredibly special.

“It lived up to all expectations,” she shares. “It was a really relaxed day, just like we wanted.

“We wanted it to be chill, not hectic, and to not worry about anyone else but us when we read our vows, so that we weren’t embarrassed – especially for me, because I always try to make jokes when people are around, so it wouldn’t have been very serious.

“It was really intimate and sweet.”