Sonia regains her sparkle

SINCE HER STRICTLY BALLROOM BREAKOUT ROLE TO PRIME-TIME TV PRESENTER, SONIA KRUGER HAS COME FULL CIRCLE. SHE TALKS TO PAUL EWART ABOUT DANCING AS MEDITATION, OVERCOMING ANXIETY AND BECOMING A MUMLATER IN LIFE

- Paul Ewart

She first found fame as the sequin-clad dance champion, Tina Sparkle, in Baz Luhrmann’s 1992 smash hit Strictly Ballroom. And since her big screen breakout, Sonia Kruger went on to prove beyond doubt that she’s much more than a one-trick pony. In fact, the talented triple threat has cha-cha’d her way to the top of Australia’s TV pile.

Through a career spanning more than 35 years she’s fronted an A to Z of prime-time gigs, from Dancing With the Stars and The Voice, to Big Brother, and most recently, Today Extra. But paralleling these stellar career highs have been epic personal lows, including a divorce, the death of her beloved dad, and a hard-won battle to become a mum.

And while other women may have turned to meditation, yoga or similar coping methods during tough times, the bubbly presenter tells us that she has her own approach to finding inner peace. “I love to make people dance,” laughs the 54-year-old, flashing her trademark grin. “That sounds weird, but I think that when people dance they tend to forget about everything else, you know? You don’t feel like you’re exercising or working out, you’re just in that moment enjoying it. To lose yourself – and your worries – swinging around your living room and just cutting loose. It’s that whole ‘dance like no one is watching’ theory.”

Almost like a ‘Zen and the art of dancing’? suggests Good Health. “Yes, exactly!” agrees Sonia.

In a case of life imitating art, Sonia’s role on Strictly Ballroom was the result of a longtime obsession with dance, which began in her native Brisbane at the tender age of four. The naturally gifted athlete went on to specialise in ballroom and Latin American dance, ultimately representing Australia at the Amateur British Ballroom Championships and was the Australian Ballroom, Latin and New Vogue Professional Champion.