CHRISTIAN WILKINS
On his famous dad, Richard, love and coming out
He’s often photographed at red-carpet events wearing bright, daring outfits and to the untrained eye, it could be easy to assume that Christian Wilkins is just a trendy socialite with a devoted Instagram following. But if you dig a little deeper, the second youngest child of veteran TV presenter Richard Wilkins is much more. With the second season of his podcast, Radical Fashionism just launched – where he’s interviewed the likes of everyone from Boy George to Tanya Plibersek – the budding presenter is already paving his way in the industry with his own unique twist.
“Both my parents, my family, my school, always really kind of accepted me and always pushed me to be authentically me,” Christian explains to WHO. “I never even ‘came out’ because it was never this expectation that I was straight until I said I was gay. It was just ‘be who you are’.”
Even as a young boy Christian experimented with his fashion, just like he does today. “When my mum married my dad, she had a mini skirt wedding dress that I was obsessed with and I used to always go up and dress in it,” he reveals. “When I was staying at my dad’s house and he had friends over, I’d refuse to go to sleep until he let me perform ‘On A Night Like This’ to all of his friends.” And it was also through seeing his dad on the job that Christian found his passion for the entertainment industry. “Seeing [the industry] from such a young age, I was able to easily recognise whether or not it was something I wanted to get involved in. I saw the bad side but I can also see that my actual love for these things is so strong that I can work through any negatives.”
Yet despite his confident persona, Christian admits he wasn’t always so self-assured. “A lot of people, myself included, deal with anxiety and I think going out to big events regardless of
how well known you are is slightly daunting. There was a time where I used to let negative people’s opinions affect me, but then I realised that it doesn’t matter what other people think, because I’ve got a great support network.”
His dad plays a huge part in that support network and these days, they’re closer than ever. “My dad and I are just utterly obsessed with each other. We live together and I think that if either one of us ever moved away that [the] other would just cease to exist. We have the best relationship and we both give each other support and advice whenever we need it.”
Also living with him and his dad, is Christian’s best friend, often mistaken for his boyfriend, Andy Kelly, who co-hosts his podcast. “We’re just best mates, we’re not together but we’re essentially inseparable. The three of us living together is just like one big bachelor pad!” And although his social media portrays the glitz and glam of Christian’s social life, behind the scenes he’s busy building his career like anyone else. “I work at Channel Nine five days a week but I’m also doing stuff with E! presenting,” he says. “I was the Ovolo Hotel ambassador for Fashion Week and I’m currently trying to get acting representation which is something else I’m really passionate about.”
“A lot of people, myself included, deal with anxiety” —Christian Wilkins