Dannii Minogue is one of Australia’s most loved entertainers whose career has spanned over four decades.
And in a raw and inspiring interview with Anh Do, the pint-sized beauty has revealed all about her life so far.
From that supposed rift with her sister, Kylie Minogue, to being embroiled in the phone hacking scandal in the UK and that Playboy shoot, Dannii revealed a whole lot more than we bargained for.
With this, here are eight things we learnt about Dannii and you may need to sit down for this one!
Dannii Minogue with Anh Do, on Anh’s Brush with Fame.
(Source: ABC).jpg?resize=380%2C285)
Dannii grew up in a very normal household
Even though she would become one of the most famous names in Australian TV, music and fashion, Dannii’s home life with the Minogues was pretty normal.
The youngest of three, Dannii was quite a tomboy having grown up closer in age to her older brother Brendan than big sister Kylie.
In order for the family-of-five to live closer to the city centre, Carol and Ronald Minogue (her parents) would renovate houses by buying “the worst house in the street” and then as soon as the house was finished, they would move to “the next dump” and start doing that up again.
“We never got to live in these houses that were beautiful,” she quipped.
Because she was closest in age to Brendan, Dannii was quite a tomboy, but her relationship with Kylie was that of any “normal” sisters – even sharing a bedroom!
“There were typical sister fights and there was often masking tape that we’d put down the centre of the room,” she revealed, while adding that there was the odd hairbrush theft.
“It was so much fun!” she said.
READ NEXT: Dannii Minogue’s secret mother-in-law experience from hell
Brendan, Kylie and Dannii Minogue.
(Source: ABC)
Dannii and Kylie were close but had the normal sister rivalry.
(Source: ABC)Dannii’s teachers saw “something special” even though she wasn’t the best singer or dancer
“Like most kids in Australia, Saturday night TV was watching Young Talent Time and I just loved all the singing and dancing. Tina Arena was my favourite on the show.”
Dannii’s dad found the “biggest ad” that was in the Yellow Pages for “singing and dancing” and enrolled her into the Johnny Young Talent School.
“Teachers saw something special in me,” she said. “There’s something about this girl and you should audition her. They said, ‘she’s not the best singer, she’s not the best dancer, but there’s something. See if you see the same thing.”
She then joined the show as a “tiny tot” at the age of seven, becoming an audience favourite until her decision to leave at the age of 16.
Dannii on Young Talent Time.
(Source: ABC)While being a child star for so long included rehearsals six days a week, she had the unwavering support of her family.
“It’s unbelievable. It was such a commitment as a family,” she said and then added, “I didn’t think anything would happen after that.”
In 1989, she was offered a recording contract and had a top ten hit, Love and Kisses.
Dannii then went on to act in Home and Away, “shaking off her squeaky clean image.
Dannii was an audience favourite and left the show at age 16.
(Source: ABC)
Dannii played a bad girl on Home and Away.
(Source: ABC/Channel 7)Dannii’s secret mother-in-law experience from hell
At the age of 23, Dannii married Julian McMahon, the son of former Prime Minister William McMahon and wife Sonia.
“His family did not like me. There’s a certain social pecking order and I was definitely not in that scene. She [Sonia] only spoke to me a couple of times,” Dannii revealed.
The strained relationship even escalated to the point that Dannii was banned from entering Julian’s family home.
“She would not let me go to the family house. Sometimes [Julian] had to go and collect something and I was waiting in the car out the front. It was as if I’d done something wrong to the family but I hadn’t done anything wrong,” Dannii said.
Dannii got married at 23 to Julian McMahon.
(Source: ABC)Dannii further revealed that Sonia caused issues at her wedding to Julian in 1994 (which threatened to not attend) – a marriage which ultimately ended after 18 months.
“On the actual day of the wedding there was drama. [Sonia] said she wasn’t going to show up, so that’s quite stressful. Julian and I were going ahead with the marriage regardless.
“So she did end up coming and was causing a scene … it wasn’t the greatest … it was hard. I just tried to stay away from it, I just wanted to enjoy the day.”
A year after their wedding, their marriage fell apart. Later, Dannii admitted that they “shouldn’t have rushed into it”.
“Silly, silly, silly,” she said.
Julian and his mum, Sonia McMahon.
(Source: ABC)Dannii and Julian’s wedding photos were stolen and leaked
While they had to contend with Lady McMahon, there was the matter of their wedding photographs.
According to the pop star, they had a deal with a magazine, but between the time they were being developed going to print, another magazine had paid someone to steal the pictures.
“The magazine that were buying them, were trying to sue us,” Dannii revealed. “Because they thought we’d done another deal behind their back.”
To this day, they have no idea who leaked them – however, they strongly suspect it was “the guy at the chemist!”
A wedding snap from Dannii and Julian’s big day.
(Source: ABC)Dannii did her infamous Playboy shoot to get out of debt
After her marriage broke down, Dannii was living in London away from her family and was broke.
“I was offered to do a Playboy shoot which would get me out of debt. I actually felt that when I did the shoot, it was really liberating as well. It was just like a hand being offered to me to lift me out of it, just being reborn again. It’s one shoot you do and your problems are solved.”
And it made Dannii more financially stable, her parents were against the idea.
“Once you’ve done it, it’s done. You can never go back,” they told her.
Dannii did Playboy to get out of debt.
(Source: ABC)A magazine wanted to run a fabricated story that Dannii was HIV postive
This is by far one of the scariest pieces of information to come to light.
Dannii was working as an ambassador for the Terrence Higgins Trust, an HIV charity, and one night she came home to her apartment in London where there were flowers and a card on her doorstep.
“I take it up to my apartment and there was a letter with it and I open the letter and it says: ‘Hi, I’m such and such journalist from such and such publication, and we are running a story tomorrow to say that you are HIV positive unless you contact us.
“Like what type of blackmail is this that comes with a bunch of flowers?”
Thinking about it even now, gives Dannii goosebumps.
(Source: ABC)Dannii’s manager called the publication and they said that they “knew more” than Dannii she did about herself.
“They were so sure about it, but ‘thank you for contacting us about it’ but they were letting us know they were going ahead with the article.”
Dannii then went to her doctor for a blood test to prove that she was not lying.
“What I told you on the phone, I’m not, so don’t run the article because it won’t be good for you,” she later told the publication.
But the media scrutiny did not end there.
“Unless someone is watching or following or listening to me, it can’t be happening,” Dannii told Anh about being hacked.
According to the 47-year-old, everyone in her circle called her “paranoid”.
“Sure enough, when the phone hacking scandal came out, my name was on every list,” she revealed. “They were following my phone and my messages.”
Dannii puts to bed the Kylie rift rumours
One of the most famous rumours about Dannii, is by far her rivalry with sister, Kylie.
“It’s so annoying, Anh,” she said. “We’re a tight family unit and we support each other. I remember there was a lot of stuff written about my weight and comparing my size and physique to my sister. The general crux of it was that Kylie is this perfect human being and I was not and I guess I’m lucky that I was quite a fiesty character.
“I didn’t have a problem with it, I guess everyone else had a problem with it,” while adding that she had the strength to get through it.
When Kylie was diagnosed with breast cancer, Dannii admitted that “the worst part was that I was really far away”, as she was in London and Kylie in Australia.
She wanted to get back to be with Kylie and then also her parents.
“She’s an absolute star. From the tiniest, littlest person, I don’t know where she pulls it up from but she was absolutely incredible with everyone and with the situation and being calm about it. Because she had to. Her life dependent on it.”
Kylie was diagnosed with breast cancer while Dannii was in London.
(Source: ABC)When Kylie got the all clear, the “world was rejoicing” however, her best friend was now dying of cancer.
“My best friend had gone into hospital and I knew she was never going to come out,” she said. “I felt very trapped by it all. Trying to celebrate and rejoice and grieve at the same time. It’s a really weird feeling.”
Kylie and Dannii are as thick as thieves.
(Source: Getty)Sharon Osborne versus Dannii Minogue
“She didn’t like me, she made it very clear about that,” Dannii revealed of her America’s Got Talent co-host.
“I still don’t really know why, there were three judges and the show was running beautifully without a fourth one and maybe she wasn’t ready for it.”
Sharon’s hate for Dannii was incredibly public and she “could not escape it”.
“I definitely had to deep down through another strength,” she admitted.
Sharon Osborne did not hold back for her hate of Dannii.
(Source: ABC)So, would Dannii Minogue change anything about her life?
“I wouldn’t change a thing,” she said with a smile. “I honestly wouldn’t.”
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Anh’s INCREDIBLE painting of Dannii.
(Source: ABC)
