TV HOST SHELLEY’S DREAM HOME
THE TV HOST TALKS ALL THINGS BYRON BAY, BUILDING AND THE BLOCK
In the 25 years that Shelley Craft has graced our TV screens, there’s not many people Down Under who wouldn’t have seen the bubbly, bright and beautiful star. From her days on Saturday Disney and The Great Outdoors, to Australia’s Funniest Home Videos and Domestic Blitz, the 45-year-old has been a fan favourite since the start. And it seems her passion for TV hasn’t waned either.
“I openly admit that I love television,” Craft tells WHO. “I’ve had an awesome run and I’ve worked on the best shows that Australia’s ever made – so to be a part of that for 25 years, I’m pretty bloody proud.”
This year, you’ll find Craft back on The Block for a 14th season along with co-host Scott Cam, helping to guide teams as they navigate the ups and downs of renovating and building. The process is something the TV star knows all too well, having done her fair share of projects.
Just last year, when everyone was baking banana bread and doing puzzles during the first wave of the pandemic Down Under, Craft and her husband, Christian Sergiacomi, were knee-deep in building their “forever for now” home in NSW’s Byron Bay – where they have lived for “12 fabulous years” with daughters Milla, 10, and Eadie, 9. “It’s a little bit of an
Italian cathedral, come ski lodge, come factory,” Craft says of the home. “It’s a real mismatch but hopefully it works and hopefully it all gels together – I think it does.”
Inviting WHO into their new family pad, it’s clear to see the couple are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to building. Although don’t expect them to sign up for their own stint on The Block anytime soon. “Christian and I actually wouldn’t make great Block contestants because we actually see things the same way,” she admits. “There’s not as much conflict or drama that you get from some of the couples that we see. Not to say that there weren’t some moments, that’s for sure.”
How is beautiful Byron at the moment? It’s been very quiet around town, which is very sad. The whole town certainly relies on tourists to make it buzz and give it the energy that we all know and love Byron for.
What drew you and your family to Byron in the first place?
We travelled so much for work. When I was on The Great Outdoors, I was overseas every other week. And my husband travelled a lot as well. So when we decided we were ready to start a family, we thought, “Where do we want to be?” We know we’ll have to travel for work anyway. It seems every time I was based in Sydney, I was working in Melbourne and vice versa. So, the decision really was, let’s base ourselves where we would like to raise our family, and the work is going to take us where it has to take us anyway. So for us that was Byron, not just for only the amazing
weather but just that option of really choosing family life over work life.
Tell us about your stunning house … Is this your “forever home”?
So we started building this in February last year, all the way through COVID-19. We’d owned the block for a little while, not really knowing what we were going to do with it and whether we would build our forever home here or whether we would perhaps do some holiday accommodation or just do a project. As it turned out, we decided we’d build what I call our “forever for now” home. Being in the real estate game [Sergiacomi owns his own real estate agency with ex-Block contestant Brad Cranfield and Craft is a licensed agent] we see a lot of amazing properties, so I never say never. How was the building process?
It was pretty seamless – we’ve done a lot of renos, my husband and I. I think the girls have lived in more houses than they’ve had birthdays. But the fact we could move at our own pace and make decisions on the go is why we loved this one. We did change a few things dramatically from what was on the plan to what we have now, because we were on site every day and could see when those things were coming up. We work really well together, believe it or not, for husband and wife. Everything’s where it should be and everything’s how it should be. For us, everything functions just right.
Do your girls get any input?
Yes, they did. Sadly, some of the things that I’d promised them early on – you know, mezzanine levels, double bunks and staircases, and cubby houses in the ceilings – didn’t quite happen. But those things were on the wish list, obviously! I tried to keep all the colours very much of what you’d find here in nature in Byron. But I mean, they’re 10 and 9 years old, respectively, so there is still pinks and purples. I’ve sort of come to terms with that as far as, “Well, that’s what the shells on the beach are.” [Laughs]. If I had my architectural and interior design voice on, I would say something along those lines, but ultimately it’s [the colours that] all little girls love. You got to give them something!
How do you juggle the commute to Melbourne for The Block with parenting? I’ve always travelled for work, it’s been a part of our family life, as well as pre-kids. For the first few years the girls were around, I was also working on Funniest Home Videos, which was filmed in Sydney. So they would come down with me, and Milla would be in her jolly jumper hanging from the studio door while I recorded those episodes and then she’s flying home with me. Once she turned 2, Milla got left behind and Eadie would come along instead. But I’ve never apologised for taking my kids to work or working around them. I think I was really lucky that once I got pregnant, there had been many women go through it. [They’ve] certainly paved the way for the fact it’s just a part of our life and I don’t apologise for that. I’m really only away sort of for two nights, at the most, per week while filming The Block. So as far as working mums go, it’s the greatest gig in
“I’ve never apologised for taking my kids to work or working around them ... it’s just a part of our life” —CRAFT
the world. I can work for 12 weeks at a time and be around to do canteen, school pickups, ballet drop-off and soccer mum duties for the rest of the year. It’s wonderful and I know how lucky I am.
Do you still get the same excitement from
The Block as you did when you started? Absolutely, I do. You know for me, as much as I do love the building process, the thing I love the most about The Block is the contestants and the journey that they go on throughout the show. Seeing how far they come, not only as individuals but also as couples or teams or family members, I think people underestimate the good that comes out of reality TV. I also love telly, I’ve been making telly since I was 18 years old. This is my first love, it’s my world. To have people come into that and hopefully get as much joy, fun, experience and challenge out of this that I have over the years, to be a little part of that, is what keeps me coming back.
It’s your 25th year on Aussie screens, do you still love it?
I really do. I think I only admitted that to myself a couple of years ago. I always thought, it’s a job – it’s an awesome job – but it’s just a job. Then I thought, “Well, hang on a second. You know you can’t just go and start a new career! What will you do?” Well, you have had a bit of a career change. You got your real estate licence last year – that’s very impressive!
Well, you know the coronavirus pandemic does crazy things to all of us! That’s one thing I guess I also realised about television, there’s not many serial TV hosts. Everyone else has a second string in their bow now – whether you’re a TV vet or an Olympian who’s now a sports reporter, or a doctor or a relationship counsellor. And then, you know, Scotty Cam was a builder for so many years before he landed on television. I always was just the kid having fun on TV, so it is nice now to have another string. And hopefully again, I can bring a bit more industry knowledge into my role on The Block, rather than just being the big sister who loves cushions and vases and interior decorating.
What can you tell us about this year’s season? It looks like it’s packed with heaps of drama!
Oh my god, I know! I was hoping there would be no drama this year. I love the fact we have some favourite teams back. It’s great to see Mitch and Mark getting another shot at it because they really had a rough ride the first time round, emotionally. They didn’t get as much out of the experience as I’d hoped they would. So it’s great to see them back and hopefully, knowing what they know now, they can enjoy the ride a little bit more. I’ll say the same for Ronnie and Georgia – I do hope their turn this time isn’t as dramafilled. But they’re certainly going to bring us some good TV.
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