THE HIT LIST
THE VOICE HOST REVEALS WHY SHE THINKS THE TOP FOUR ALL DESERVE THE BIG PRIZE
She’s worked with countless stars during her more than 20 years on Aussie TV, but Sonia Kruger admits it was quite surreal working with Keith Urban on this year’s season of reality singing competition The Voice. “I remember standing on stage one night and even though I’ve presented a lot of shows over the years, I still get nervous at times,” she tells WHO. “And I was trying to say something and I got it completely wrong. It all went really silent in the room, and I felt all the blood coming up to my face. And Keith just looked at me and said, ‘You got this, Sonia.’ And at that moment, I was just so jealous of Nicole Kidman!”
After the busy year she’s had and with another show almost done and dusted, the 56-year-old should be putting her feet up and enjoying a well-deserved break. Instead, she’s set to host Big Brother VIP, which she says is going to be another one to watch. Here, she talks The Voice top four and why she just can’t pick a winner …
The Voice grand final is upon us! Do you ever get a bit sad to see the show end?
I do, I do. Because by the time you get to the grand final, you can’t help but bond with all four of those finalists. You want all of them to win. In a way, they all kind of do because they’re all having an incredible moment where they not only perform solo but they get to perform with their coach. And that is such a once in a lifetime experience! Audiences can’t get enough of this season! Why do you think people love the show? Well, the coaching panel is brilliant, the hosting is amazing [laughs] – joking! But seriously, the contestants are so talented, the singers are all so good. So I think that’s why people are tuning in because they’re really incredible.
Any frontrunners for you?
They’re all very different but they are all so deserving! I don’t want to sound cliche, but they just really are. I think it’s going to be super-tight. I don’t think there’s a clear winner. It’s really hard to pick!
How was it working with the judges?
I was really nervous actually about meeting Keith and Rita [Ora]. I know Jess [Mauboy] and she’s a sweetheart. She is super-easy to work with, beautiful personality and she’s fun to be around. And then you’ve got Guy [Sebastian]. He makes me laugh all the time. I’ll be trying to say something serious and he’ll be crossing his eyes at me. It’s part annoying and hilarious, so I love working with Guy as well. But I was nervous about meeting Rita and Keith because they’re international superstars.
There’s no rest for you after The Voice ends. You’re onto hosting Big Brother VIP …
Yes, there is going to be a lot to unpack! There are big characters like Caitlyn Jenner, Omarosa Manigault Newman and Thomas Markle. The interesting thing is in Big Brother VIP you get to see a completely different side to them because they’re not being sat down to do a one-on-one interview. They’re in the house and they’ve forgotten about the cameras. You get to see the real people and that’s what is fascinating as they open up! Do you have a favourite show to watch when you need to relax?
I’ll be watching SAS Australia. It doesn’t really have me written all over it at all but having watched the last season, I’ll definitely be watching it again. What I like about SAS, similar to Big Brother VIP, is that you get to see another side to all of the celebrities that you think you know.
By Sara Tapia (The Voice grand final airs Sun., Sep. 12, 7pm on Channel Seven. Big Brother VIP premieres later this year)