When Sonia Kruger’s marriage broke up, she turned to her life-long friend, Todd McKenney, for support. Amazingly, as she tells Wendy Squires, Todd stepped in with not only love and comfort, but a heartfelt offer to father her much-wanted child.
It’s said the true test of a friendship is being there through the tough times, as well as the good. Sonia Kruger discovered this to be true when she separated from her husband of six years, banker James Davies, last November. Aware that there would be fallout in the press, along with unwarranted rumour and innuendo surrounding the 43-year-old’s newly single status, Sonia’s life-long friend, radio partner, Dancing with the Stars co-star and one-time boyfriend Todd McKenney whisked her off on a holiday to Bali.
Todd knew how intense unwanted media attention can be, having been through a highly embarrassing drug incident (the charges were later dropped) only months earlier. Considering it was Sonia who stood by him steadfastly throughout the very public backlash, the opportunity to take her away for some quiet R and R seemed serendipitous.
It was while they were on the Indonesian holiday island that Sonia says she and Todd talked long into the night, having deep discussions about relationships, children and what really matters in life. It was during one of these conversations that Sonia revealed to Todd her deep yearning for a child and her fears that, at 43 and single again, her dream may no longer be a possibility.
“I told him how, when I hold a newborn baby, I get an overwhelming feeling that this is something I don’t want to miss out on,” Sonia reveals in a candid interview with The Weekly. “We talked about how difficult it is for women like me, who have a biological clock ticking loudly, and he was incredibly understanding and supportive. And that’s when he turned to me and offered to father a child for me.”
Aware that his offer may be viewed as controversial to some, Sonia says, “I know Todd would be a great father to any child. He already is to little Charlotte [the two-year-old daughter he fathered with close friend, Anne Wood].
“I have never seen anyone so excited by a child in my life. The thing about Todd is that I know he would be the greatest support to me, which is what you need if you are to go ahead and have children.”
There is no doubt there is a special bond between Sonia and Todd, evident as the couple spark off each other during their breakfast radio show on MIX 106.5 FM on a chilly Sydney morning.
To read more about Sonia’s choice, see the July issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly, out now.
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