Casey Donovan and her fiancée Renee Sharples have been spotted pounding the pavement as they begin ‘shredding for their wedding’ – and to start a family.
The couple, who announced their engagement on June 21, 2024 after four years together, were perfectly in sync as they hit Melbourne in matching attire.
Finding fame as a 16-year-old in 2004, winning Australian Idol, Casey reveals she struggled with the focus on her appearance – something that’s stayed with her.
Struggling since childhood: ‘Nothing fit me’
“I was this grungy teenager. Nothing fit me,” Casey reflects in an exclusive interview for an upcoming episode of Woman’s Day podcast The Check Up.
“I remember I went into a few shops and I was buying all the boys’ clothes because anything that was over a size 14 was for … more mature ladies.
“There was always very positive things [said] about my voice, but it started turning into what I was wearing and what I look like.
“That became the forefront, as opposed to music and singing.”
The singer says the daily battle to find something to wear – something even the show’s styling team came up short on – was “frustrating”.
She adds that the whole experience was “really quite hurtful and upsetting”.
Finding ways to be ‘happy’ in her body
More than 20 years later, the 37-year-old admits she’s still rebuilding her confidence.
“Still to this day, I’m finding new ways to be confident and be happy in my body,” she tells us.
“I still get on flights today and I feel like I have to make myself as small as possible so that the people next to me are comfortable sitting next to a person that’s living in a bigger body.
“You know, I can’t go on certain rides in certain theme parks because I live in a bigger body.”
In November 2022, the star revealed on social media that she weighed under 100kg “for the first time in my adult life”.
“Being under 100kg was, like, the greatest milestone for me,” she tells The Check Up.
She adds that while it “wasn’t easy” and look a lot of “hard work and effort”, she felt amazing.
“I changed a lot of things in my life,” she says. “Making small, tiny changes which create big, great habits is always amazing.”
Ready to start a family
At the end of 2025, Casey revealed she had been undergoing IVF treatments, eager to become a mum.
Renee had previously done her own egg retrievals.
Though she suffers from polycystic ovary syndrome, they were able to harvest 26 eggs from Casey’s first retrieval and 28 from the second.
“My goal of getting my weight and health under control has been so that I can start a family and help myself along that journey,” she tells The Check Up.
As for what the next couple of years hold, Casey reveals that while she’s busy as ever – kicking off her This Is Me! national tour on February 20 – she hopes a baby and wedding are on the cards.
“Look, hopefully carrying a child would be a beautiful thing,” she beams.
“And maybe plan a wedding for 2030 when I get a hot minute to slow down!”
The Check Up with Woman’s Day is a podcast that unpacks the medical realities behind obesity and the very real impact it has on women’s lives.
