When we speak to Julia Morris, she’s on her way back to Sydney after some rare time off.
Juggling back-to-back shows since January – she kicked off the year by flying to South Africa to host I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! alongside Chris Brown, before the duo returned to host Sunday Night Takeaway – has left little time for spending time with friends and family.
It’s something she’s had to accept.
“I thrive on hard work, but it’s making sure that family are happy with that,” Julia, 50, explains to TV WEEK.
“And friendships have to be put on ice for a while. People talk about ‘living the dream’, but the dream is 24/7. It doesn’t stop. Doing these shows has nearly killed Chris and I.”
Julia and her I’m A Celeb co-host Dr Chris Brown (Image: Network 10)
One of Julia’s most-loved qualities is her honesty when it comes to discussing the reality of working in TV. In 2017, she opened up about how she’d almost reached breaking point 12 months earlier – she was overworked and suffering from mood swings, which were getting worse.
But the mum-of-two eventually sought out a psychologist, tried cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and hasn’t looked back. Even now, when things start to feel like they’re getting too much, Julia will ask for help.
“I’ve had my psychologist on the phone when I’ve needed tweaking, which was about five weeks ago,” Julia explains. “She helps me set boundaries, like putting a ‘Do not disturb’ sign on my dressing-room door. She’s given me the tools so I can work this hard.”
Julia says CBT has helped her change her way of thinking, too. In particular, how she feels about working in TV for more than three decades, yet never having won a TV WEEK Logie Award.
“I’ve had to get through my sense of entitlement,” she explains. “Just because I’ve worked hard doesn’t mean I deserve a Logie. Over the past four to five years, I’ve started to understand that working is my Logie.”
Julia’s been busy hosting multiple shows, including Blind Date (Image: Network 10).
Therapy has helped Julia deal with the media attention that comes with the job too.
Recently, she was rattled by a news article that revealed the location of the house she was renting. But she managed to shake it off.
“I’ll think, ‘Was it the real estate agent [who leaked the information]? Has someone followed me home?’ You can send yourself nuts,” she says.
“I can go down that track or I can just accept that that’s the way it is.”
Julia also has an incredible support in her husband of more than 14 years, Dan Thomas.
“He’s a great dad and has our family’s best interests at heart,” she adds. “And my God he’s a patient man. The other fallout of working hard is you come home exhausted. But I’ve learned to save some sparkle for home.”
Julia and Dan at the 2018 TV WEEK Logie Awards (Image: Supplied).
While Julia has come to accept the highs with the lows, keeping her two daughters away from the world of showbiz is a priority. Yet that doesn’t stop fans from approaching Julia while she’s with her girls.
“I just tell them that every time someone comes up to us, it’s another $100 in the bank and to consider those great holidays and the house we live in,” she says. “When I’m not working, I get two-and-a-half months off. Not many mums get to do that and be more present. It’s a great bonus.”
Being present is certainly something Julia is keen to embrace. She admits that before having CBT she felt “angry for a very long time”, but now looks for the positives in each day.
“There’s no destination to happiness,” she says. “I definitely have the understanding now where I’m looking for more happiness in each day.”
