She made her humble beginnings on Saturday Disney, but Shelley Craft’s career and time in the Aussie spotlight has only continued to grow and blossom since.
Now, the 40-year-old gives us a candid look into her life, which, along with her role as The Block’s co-host, involves being a mum to two darling daughters.
She’s grateful
“I’m very grateful for the jobs I have had,” she says. “For someone who just fell into television with no real goal or qualifications to do anything else, to have worked for this long in television, I’m proud.”
“The beautiful thing about it is there’s so much variety. No day has been the same—and that keeps me interested. The Block gives me the chance to have the perfect balance of motherhood and work. I work two days a week, travelling from Byron Bat down to Melbourne, Wednesday to Friday.”
Motherhood means the world to her
Shelley’s daughters Milla and Eadie are six and four. “It’s so exciting to see them growing up,” she says.
“Becoming a mother is the most amazing experience. You don’t know who you are until you’re a parent. I had seen myself seen myself as the Disney kid always cruising through life, and the girls, through necessity, have forced me to grow up. Becoming a parent is the greatest things I ever did.”
She and her husband are still madly in love
Shelley says the keys to her marriage with husband Christian Sergiacomi are “love, lust and trust.”
“The lust is still there, which is great – I don’t think you can create that, and friendship is definitely a huge part of our relationship, and honesty. We are still really happy. We’ve been married for eight years and we’re still very much in love. We have a great time together.”
She’s a free-range parent
Shelley describes her parenting style and “free-range and fluid”. “It’s hard to have very strict rules and plan when my work is so erratic. The girls have adapted very well to that.
“They have strong characters. Milla likes to follow the rules and tried to please. Eadie is a free spirit, running her own show.
“There’s just a little test every day when I think, ‘do I step in or do I let them be themselves?’ Rather than overparenting, I think it’s better to work through things as the come along and know your children are going to be okay.”
She supports victims of domestic violence
Shelley supports RizeUp, a social media-based organisation that sources home furnishings for victims of domestic violence needing to relocate.
“I thought that was awesome – your home is your haven, and if you don’t feel safe in your home it’s the greatest tragedy of all. That’s why I felt strongly about supporting this cause.”
Words: Katie Minogue