Sonia Kruger
Sonia Kruger | |
|---|---|
| Born | Sonia Melissa Kruger August 28, 1965 Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Television host, actress, media figure |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Known for | Co-presenter of Dancing with the Stars (Australia), host of Big Brother Australia |
Sonia Melissa Kruger (born 28 August 1965) is a prominent Australian television host, actress, and media figure. She gained widespread recognition as the co-presenter of the Australian adaptation of Dancing with the Stars alongside Chris Brown, and for portraying Tina Sparkle in the 1992 movie Strictly Ballroom. Kruger served as the host of Big Brother Australia from 2012 until 2014 on the Nine Network, before returning to helm the show’s revival on Channel 7 from 2020 through 2023.
During her tenure at Seven Network, Kruger covered significant events such as the Olympics, the Melbourne Cup, and the Australian Open. In 2023, she was honored with the prestigious Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television.
Her outspoken remarks concerning immigrants and Muslims have attracted criticism, generating considerable public controversy and political discussion.
Early life
Born in Toowoomba, Queensland, on 28 August 1965, Kruger grew up in Waterford, a suburb located on the border between the Gold Coast and Logan regions in south-east Queensland. She frequently spent weekends at Gold Coast beaches including Burleigh Heads and Surfers Paradise. Kruger completed her secondary schooling at Beenleigh State High School, finishing Year 12 in 1982. Following this, she relocated to Sydney to pursue an Arts Degree at the University of Technology, Sydney and also taught dance at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA).
Career
Kruger made her acting debut in 1992 as Tina Sparkle in the AFI Award-winning film Strictly Ballroom, where she additionally contributed as a ballroom dance advisor. This remains her only acting credit.
She subsequently hosted the children’s variety program Wonder World! broadcast on the Nine Network. Her career also included roles as an entertainment reporter for Seven Network programs such as Today Tonight, Sunrise, and 11AM. On radio, she co-hosted Sydney’s Mix 106.5 morning show alongside Dancing with the Stars judges Todd McKenney and Andy Grace.
In 2004, Kruger became a co-host of Seven Network’s dance competition Dancing with the Stars, sharing duties with Daryl Somers and Daniel MacPherson across eleven seasons. She also fronted Seven’s makeover reality series 10 Years Younger in 10 Days in September 2008; despite strong initial ratings, it was not renewed for additional seasons.
Kruger departed from both Dancing with the Stars and Seven Network in November 2011 to explore new ventures, signing a development contract with Nine Network. She then hosted the daytime talk program Mornings alongside David Campbell, succeeding Kerri-Anne. The show launched in February 2012 and continued under the title Today Extra until 2016.
She was announced as host of Nine Network’s rebooted version of Big Brother Australia, succeeding Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O from its previous run on Network Ten. The ninth season premiered in August 2012, attracting 1.6 million viewers—the highest audience since season three.
In February 2015, Kruger joined the fourth season of The Voice Australia as co-host alongside Darren McMullen.
In November 2017, she co-hosted Vision Australia’s annual event Carols by Candlelight with David Campbell, taking over from Lisa Wilkinson. After moving to Seven Network, Allison Langdon replaced her in this role.
August 2018 saw Kruger announced as a presenter for Nine Network’s travel series Helloworld, which premiered in October that year. When the program transitioned to Seven Network, she and other hosts were replaced.
Kruger ended her tenure at Nine Network in November 2019, presenting her final episode of Today Extra on November 15. Following this, Seven Network CEO James Warburton confirmed her return to Seven with hosting responsibilities including an upcoming reality competition titled Mega Mini Golf.
In February 2020, Seven officially revealed Kruger as host for the revival of Big Brother. Due to scheduling conflicts related to filming commitments, she withdrew from hosting a new season of Holey Moley. By October that year, it was confirmed she would host both shows concurrently.
In 2021, after Seven acquired rights to The Voice, Kruger resumed co-hosting duties for its new season. She currently shares hosting responsibilities for Channel Seven's iteration of Dancing with the Stars alongside original co-host Daryl Somers.
Kruger's work earned her multiple nominations for the Bert Newton Award for Most Popular Presenter at the Logie Awards across 2022, 2023, and 2024. She received her inaugural Gold Logie nomination in 2022 and secured the award in 2023, followed by another nomination in 2024. Additionally, she was awarded TV Tonight’s "Most Overexposed Performer" accolade four years running from 2021 through to 2024 and garnered a Gold Logie nomination for 2025.
Personal life
From 2002 until 2008, Kruger was married to James Davies, a banker originally from the United Kingdom. Following their divorce, she entered into a relationship with Craig McPherson, who serves as the executive producer of Today Tonight. The couple pursued parenthood through both natural attempts and IVF, enduring multiple miscarriages. In August 2014, Kruger revealed that she was expecting a child via IVF using a donor egg, and in 2015, she welcomed a daughter.
Controversies
During the 2008 season of Dancing with the Stars, Kruger sparked controversy by making a remark about a "sweat shop of illegal immigrants" handling her wardrobe and also made an insensitive comment regarding Chong Lim, the Malaysian-born musical director. Channel Seven subsequently issued an apology for these remarks.
On 18 July 2016, while appearing on the morning program Today, Kruger advocated for an absolute prohibition on Muslims entering Australia, echoing views expressed by commentator Andrew Bolt. She defended her position as part of open democratic discussion. A fire at a Perth radio station initially thought to be connected to backlash over her comments was later determined by police to be unrelated.
A complaint alleging racial vilification was lodged against Kruger concerning her statements about Muslim immigration. The Nine Network requested that the complaint be dismissed without proceeding to a hearing; this request was denied. The complainant, Sam Ekermawi, had previously appeared before tribunals on multiple occasions. The tribunal concluded that while Kruger's remarks vilified Muslims, they did not amount to racial vilification since Muslims are not categorized as a race.
Accolades
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1965 births
- Australian individuals of German heritage
- Female television presenters from Australia
- Australian news anchors and television presenters
- Hosts of Australian game shows
- Big Brother (Australian TV program)
- Recipients of the Gold Logie
- Living persons
- Actresses originating from the Gold Coast, Queensland
- Big Brother (Australian TV series)