‘WE’D LOVE MORE KIDS’ Tom
Williams reveals his favourite part of being a dad
If you’re a fan of sport or travel, you’ll likely recognise Tom Williams from his 17 years of working in television as a presenter on shows like The Daily Edition and The Great Outdoors (as well as posting his pictureperfect family life on social media alongside wife Rachel Gilbert and their two young daughters, Storm, 5, and Sloane, 3).
After an unlikely career switch to real estate at the end of last year, Williams
says he’s become even more of a family man. “The daily routine has certainly changed and I definitely appreciate the time that we get to spend together,” he tells WHO. “I work six days a week because Saturday is game day in the real estate world, so on Sunday the diary is cleared and it’s just the four of us.”
From teaching his two young girls to swim to reading them bedtime stories, Williams reveals he’s a hands-on dad. “I’m the go-to person for all of that, the beach and the swimming,” he says. “Their grandparents have a little hobby farm so currently they are the proud owners of a little white pony and their mum is in the pony club, so we share the roles equally.”
In his latest venture, as this year’s ambassador for the renowned Disney On Ice show (touring Australia from May 31), Williams admits his favourite Disney films are “Frozen and Moana for sure”.
“Our little girls were away a couple of nights ago at their grandmother’s and Moana was on TV and I’m standing in front of it watching it and Rachel’s like, ‘What are you watching this for?’ and I’m like, ‘It’s still good!’”
The doting dad also spends time each night reading to his daughters. “They get to choose a book each night, so it’s often a Cinderella book because that’s just a wonderful story.”
Although he tries to keep the stories calm before bedtime, it’s not uncommon for the father-of-two to become fully immersed in the storytelling experience. “There’ve been times when I chase them around the house and growl and be a tiger,” he reveals. “They love it; they’re still not too old for that so you’ve got to do it.”
Asked if the traditional princess stories set a bad precedent for young girls by suggesting they need a prince to rescue them and have a happy life, Williams says: “I try not to let modern commentary come into our family life too much because I’ll be the judge of that. Right now, it’s about going off into the wonder of storytelling and keeping the fantasy alive.”
He says there have been challenges in his new real estate role and he’s “meeting them head on”, adding “it’s nice to have a little bit of a step back after 17 years and not be consumed by the world of TV 24/7”.
With more time to be with his family, Williams says he couldn’t be happier and would love the idea of seeing more kids in his future, but that nothing is set in stone. “It’s something that’s still on the table,” he says. “They just bring so much joy into your life and it becomes a part of your life which just consumes everything. There’s so much love in being a parent.”
“There’s so much love in being a parent”