BILLY & NICOLE SLATER 'WE PREFER THE STABLES TO THE SPOTLIGHT'

These high school sweethearts have swapped the footy field for the farm

- Jacqui Lang

For decades, rugby league star Billy Slater captivated footy fans around the country with his sporting prowess. Away from the limelight, the Melbourne Storm champ's wife Nicole was his greatest support, quietly putting her own career dreams on hold to raise their two children. While painting was her passion, "I didn't have time to really focus on it," Nicole explains.

She's certainly making up for lost time now. In the past four years, Nicole, 39, has quietly carved out an international reputation for herself for creating bold and beautiful paintings of horses.

And Billy, 40, couldn't be prouder. "Where Nicole has taken her art in the past few years has been really inspiring for us as a family," he says.

TIME TO SHINE

Nicole's chance to finally thrive at the easel came when the Slaters relocated from Melbourne to a rural property in late 2019, months after Billy retired from footy.

She had a spacious studio built and soon set to work.

"Then COVID came along, and suddenly everyone was in isolation. But we were so lucky - we had so much to do setting up our new home and my studio, and then I got to paint without interruption!" Nicole smiles.

Each day, she'd walk through a paddock, past sheep, goats and horses, to get to the studio.

"Then I'd turn up the music, start painting and the day would fly! Sometimes I'd look up and it would be dark outside!" she chuckles.