“Can we play Mas Que Nada, that Black Eyed Peas track?” We’re close to the end of our cover shoot with the vivacious Sonia Kruger, and it’s safe to say the day’s playlist has been a hit. We’ve all been belting and bopping along to a string of old-school hits and, while the energy is finally starting to mellow, as soon as the smooth bossa nova sounds of her request (“It’s my favourite song!” she says) fills the studio, Sonia starts a sinuous dance.
It's just one more reminder of why this woman is the perfect host for a show such as Dancing with the Stars. She’s definitely got the moves.
Music and dance forms the golden thread of the 57-year-old’s career. Before her acting break as ambitious dancer Tina Sparkle in Baz Luhrmann’s 1992 classic Strictly Ballroom, she studied – and taught – ballroom dancing. A few years ago she launched an online dance-based fitness and health program a few years ago, called Strictly You by Sonia Kruger.
She recently walked off with the Gold Logie for hosting three Channel Seven shows: Dancing with the Stars, Big Brother and The Voice. She’s the first woman to win a Gold Logie since Carrie Bickmore in 2015.
She talks about dancing being “complete escapism”, and being transported by music, much like a surfer riding a wave and getting into a deep state of flow.
“When I hear music, or dance, or watch someone dance, I forget about everything else,” Sonia says. “I love it – it’s transformative.”
Dancing is also part of how Sonia maintains her enviable fitness: despite a gruelling filming schedule, she looks amazing, exuding a sense of energy and vitality – and we won’t qualify that by adding ‘for her age’, either.
“I’d actually completely forget my age if the Daily Mail didn’t keep putting it next to my name every time they wrote an article about me!” she says, laughing. “I don’t know why they keep doing it; it’s just weird.”
Here are Sonia’s seven tips for staying healthy.
1. Keep moving
Weird or not, there’s no denying that Sonia’s in great shape. She’s learnt what works best for her and how important it is to stick to the basics.
“I do try to maintain my healthy habits while I’m working, because consistency is key, right?” she says. “And I’ve found that, once you’ve stopped, it can be really hard to get started again. That’s one of the reasons I launched Strictly You: to inspire people to work out at home when it suits them, and then continue those habits when they’re out and about.
“That kind of [dance-based] exercise is easy to program into your day. Once you commit to finding the time, it keeps you consistent and keeps you moving – even if you just take the dog for a walk.”
2. Cut yourself some slack
But what if your days are long, starting early and finishing late? Then Sonia cuts herself some slack. “It can be difficult and intense: there’s a lot of rehearsal going on, on-camera blocking and that kind of stuff... but I know going in that this kind of schedule only lasts for a certain period of time,” she explains.
“And after that, I’ll have a couple of months off where I don’t have to shoot anything until the back end of the year. That gives me a nice block of time during which I get to focus more on Maggie [Sonia and her partner Craig McPherson’s eight-year-old daughter], and on my own health and fitness. So, mentally, I know that a break is coming.”
3. Enjoy the occasional treat
Sonia has a healthy diet to stay in shape, but enjoys the occasional treat without guilt, too.
“I don’t deny myself anything either – if I want to have a glass of champagne, I’ll have one. And if it’s someone’s birthday, then I’ll have a piece of that chocolate cake. Yes, please! But I also know that when I eat clean food, and I’m getting a lot of fruit and vegetables in, then I feel good inside. It’s all about moderation.”
4. Be young at heart
When asked about recent remarks she made about refusing to embrace ‘going grey’ and how she’s dealing with the inevitability of ageing, Sonia bursts into laughter.
“I’m in denial!” She sees herself as young at heart – and gravitates to likeminded people. “I know it’s a cliché, but when people say ‘age is a state of mind’, I really believe that,” she says.
“I’ve met some very youthful octogenarians and I’ve met some really ‘old’ 30-year-olds. I think it’s about how you direct your thoughts: your life is really your own feature film and you get to direct how it plays out.
She wants to be having fun as long as conceivably possible.
“I feel like, if I look after myself, I could still have a long way to go! It’s about making the right decisions, and thinking on the direction that your life might take as you get older.”
5. Put family and friends first
Sonia became a mother at the age of 49 after her and Craig’s four-year journey with IVF drew criticism from many who deemed her ‘too old’ to have a baby. Maggie now regularly accompanies Sonia on holidays and backstage, and has taught her a thing or two about setting boundaries.
“She’s my number one priority,” says Sonia. “Right now, I don’t really travel or work overseas for extended periods of time, because Maggie’s at that age where she wants me – needs me! – around, like most children, you know? So, if I do have to go away, it’s generally only for a couple of days, then Craig and I make sure that Daddy’s home in that time, and vice versa if he has to travel for work.
“We keep that stability going for her. That said, she does understand what I’m doing now and that my hours aren’t nine to five. She’ll often come along with me to the recording of a show, if it’s not a school night – and she absolutely loves it!”
Sonia treasures her relationships, especially those away from the limelight. She speaks to her close friends daily and plans regular get-togethers with her family.
“These are the people who keep me grounded, who make me feel better about myself when I’m having a day where I’m spiralling because I’m being too self-critical,” she says.
6. Check your privilege
“I’ve been lucky to work in a privileged industry, but I feel that the way I grew up means that I’m still very much in touch with people who aren’t that privileged,” Sonia says.
“I’ve felt how difficult it is for people to try to make a living and put food on the table.”
She credits her parents for her drive and work ethic. “I think that generation were very strong. Nobody I knew grew up with a silver spoon. We all had to go and get jobs. As soon as I turned 13, I had a part-time job. My dad always instilled in me the concept of ‘no risk, no reward’. In other words: if you don’t put yourself out there, you’re never going to get the reward.
“Every decision I’ve made in my life, particularly from a career perspective, I’ve heard my dad in my head saying that: no risk, no reward.”
7. Let the universe do its thing
“I always think of the book Tuesdays with Morrie [a 1997 memoir by American author Mitch Albom] and its core philosophy of ‘if not now, then when?’ Basically, what are you waiting for?
“Just go out there, put the wheels in motion and take the leap to be where you want to be. Make those decisions, take the responsibility and do what you can to create your best life.”
This is an edited extract from the Aug/Sept 2023 issue of Prevention Australia. For the full feature on Sonia Kruger, buy the latest issue (on stands now until 3 September), or subscribe to Prevention Australia for eight inspiring issues a year.
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