Sonia Kruger
Sonia Kruger | |
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Sonia Kruger and Daniel MacPherson at the 2011 Logie Awards | |
Born |
Sonia Melissa Kruger 28 August 1965 Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia |
Occupation | TV Presenter |
Spouse(s) | James Davies (m. 2002β08) |
Partner(s) |
Craig McPherson (2008βpresent) |
Children | 1 |
Sonia Melissa Kruger (born 28 August 1965) is an Australian television presenter and media personality, who has been a prominent figure in the media for over 20 years. She is best known for co-hosting the popular Australian version of Dancing with the Stars and for the role of Tina Sparkle in the 1992 film Strictly Ballroom.
She currently hosts Today Extra and The Voice Australia. During her time at the Seven Network, Kruger also reported for numerous other events, including the network's coverage of the Olympics, Melbourne Cup & Australian Open.
Early life
Born in Toowoomba, Queensland, she attended Beenleigh State High School, completing Year 12 in 1982. Kruger has also completed an Arts Degree at the University of Technology, Sydney and taught dance at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney.
Career
In 1992 Kruger came to prominence in her acting debut as "Tina Sparkle" in the AFI Award-Winning film Strictly Ballroom. She also served as a ballroom adviser for the film. This remains as Kruger's only acting role to date. Following Kruger's film debut she hosted the Children's Variety Show Wonder World on the Nine Network. Kruger has been an Entertainment Reporter for both Seven Network shows Today Tonight, Sunrise and 11AM.[1] Kruger previously hosted the Morning Program on the Sydney-based radio station Mix 106.5 with Dancing with the Stars Judges Todd McKenney and Andy Grace.[2]
In 2004 Kruger joined the Seven Network reality dance competition television series Dancing with the Stars, the Australian version of the UK BBC television series Strictly Come Dancing. She co-hosted the series with both Daryl Somers[3] and Daniel MacPherson[4] over the course of the eleven seasons in which she appeared. In September 2008 Kruger was confirmed to host the Seven Network makeover reality show 10 Years Younger in 10 Days.[5] Despite high ratings for its series premiere,[6] Seven Network did not renew the series for a second season.
In November 2011 Kruger announced she was leaving both Dancing with the Stars and Seven Network to pursue other opportunities.[7]
Kruger then signed a development deal with the Nine Network in November 2011.[8] Kruger was confirmed to host her own daytime talk show Mornings with singer/actor David Campbell.[9] The series was designed to replace Kerri-Anne which ended that same month.[10] This new series premiered on 6 February 2012[11](and continues into 2016 rebranded as Today Extra). Kruger was also announced to host Nine Network's reboot of the competition reality television series Big Brother Australia.[12] Kruger replaces Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O who hosted the series on Network Ten in its eighth season, which was cancelled in 2008.[13] Big Brother Australia 9 premiered on 13 August 2012 to 1.6 million viewers, the franchise's highest ratings since the series' third season.[14] On 22 February 2015, it was announced that Kruger would be joining the fourth series of The Voice Australia as a co-host with Darren McMullen.[15]
Personal life
Kruger was married for six years to James Davies, a British-born banker.[16]
After the marriage ended in September 2008 she began seeing her current partner Craig McPherson, executive producer of Today Tonight.[17] She and McPherson had been trying for a child for years, through both IVF and natural methods.[18] She became pregnant several times, but all ended in miscarriages.[19] In August 2014, she announced she was pregnant, having conceived via in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).[18] In January 2015, Kruger gave birth to a daughter, Maggie.[20]
Controversies
In 2008, during an episode of Dancing with Stars, Kruger made a comment about a "sweat shop of illegal immigrants" working on her wardrobe for the Melbourne Cup carnival before referring to the show's musical director Chong Lim, the showβs Malaysian-born musical director with the words "Howβs the family, Chong? All right?" Channel 7 later issued an apology for her statement.[21][22]
On 18 July 2016, during an appearance on the morning show Today, Kruger called for a complete ban on Muslims entering Australia, in agreement with an opinion piece by commentator Andrew Bolt. Kruger defended her comments saying "I believe itβs vital in a democratic society to be able to discuss these issues without being labelled racist."[22][23] The firebombing of a Perth radio station initially linked by media reports to the presenters disagreeing with Kruger's views was later determined by police to be "coincidental" and "nothing to do with the Islam discussion."[24]
On the 1st August 2016, during an appearance on Today Extra, Kruger had referred to a scholarship, which required the prospective student to submit their sexuality, as "reverse discrimination", arguing that scholarships should only be rewarded on merit, and that being LGBTI is not a good criterion.[25]
References
- β "Sonia Kruger". IMDb. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
- β "Kyle's career lives on (including additional news)". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
- β "Daryl Somers quits Dancing". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
- β "DANIEL MACPHERSON TO HOST DANCING WITH THE STARS" (PDF). Sevenwestmedia.com.au. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
- β http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/sydney-confidential/sonia-kruger-to-host-10-years-younger-in-10-days-needs-recruits/story-e6frewz0-1111117548107
- β "Week 17". Tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
- β "Sonia Kruger leaving Dancing with the Stars to host Big Brother". NewsComAu. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
- β "Sonia Kruger to host Big Brother". Sunshine Coast Daily. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
- β Archived 17 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
- β "Kerri-Anne Kennerley farewells viewers". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
- β "MORNINGS with Sonia and David". today. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
- β "Sonia Kruger to host Big Brother?". Tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
- β "Ten Network drops Australian Big Brother after Pamela Anderson fails to save show - Television & radio - theguardian.com". the Guardian. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
- β "Big Brother and Underbelly prove a hit with viewers". NewsComAu. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
- β Knox, David (22 February 2015). "Sonia Kruger to co-host The Voice". TV Tonight. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- β "Sonia Kruger: the Truth Behind My Marriage Split". New Idea. 24 February 2009. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- β "Mornings host Sonia Kruger loved up with Today Tonight Producer Craig McPherson". news.com.au. 2 February 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- 1 2 http://www.couriermail.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/sonia-kruger-pregnant-announces-baby-news-on-twitter/story-fnk82hyo-1227034181751
- β "Sonia Kruger: I'm struggling with IVF at 47". The Australian Women's Weekly. 26 September 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- β "Sonia Kruger gives birth to baby daughter". The Daily Telegraph. 24 January 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
- β Sonia's foot in her mouth again β couriermail.com.au. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
- 1 2 Gavin Fernando (2016) "Television personality Sonia Kruger calls for Australia to ban Muslims" News.com.au, 18 July 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
- β "Five facts to fight Sonia Krugerβs fear of Muslims". Retrieved 1 January 2017.
- β Foster, Brendan (29 July 2016). "Man charged over fires at WAtoday and Radio 6PR". Retrieved 1 January 2017.
- β "First she called for a ban on Muslims, now Sonia Kruger has another minority group in her sights.". Retrieved 1 January 2017.
External links
- Sonia Kruger on IMDb
Media offices | ||
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Preceded by Darren McMullen (Solo) |
The Voice Co-host 2015 - present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
Preceded by Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O |
Big Brother Australia Host 2012 - 2014 |
Succeeded by Series ended |
Preceded by Originator |
Dancing with the Stars Co-host 2004 - 2011 |
Succeeded by Mel B |