LIKE FATHER, LIKE DAUGHTER
Alongside her famous father, the daughter of Skippy star Tony Bonner tells of growing up in the spotlight
Tony Bonner was just 24 when he became the hunky helicopter pilot Jerry King in the Aussie TV classic Skippy The Bush Kangaroo. In just a few years he’d gone from relative newcomer to household name.
Around that time he fell in love with Aussie model Nola Clark – a star in her own right – and the pair, who were married for 20 years, went on to have three daughters in five years.
DOMESTIC BLISS?
Theirs was a relationship made in tabloid heaven – two young stars and their happy brood. But away from the cameras, life wasn’t the picture of domesticity they portrayed.
“Dad was very famous when I was born,” says Chelsea, 46. “The thing I remembered most when I was growing up was that everyone was obsessed with Dad in Cop Shop – that was huge. And then Skyways. When I was in primary school they were the shows everyone was watching.
“When you’re little, you don’t really think about what other people do – we just knew we got to go along to lots of sets with Dad. I started getting picked on at school, and that’s when I realised maybe not everyone’s dad is on the telly.”
Though they’re close now, as Tony, 76, explains, the early years of Chelsea and her two sisters’ lives were marked by periods of absence, and his ongoing battle with alcohol.
“I wasn’t the world’s greatest father and husband,” says Tony, who has been sober since 1989. “I seemed to be happier when I was out – and I was always out.”
While his drive served him in his career, it wasn’t exactly conducive to creating a stable family life. “My ex-father and mother-in-law, Ken and Wilmer, were always solid, and looked after my family,” he says. “Wilmer didn’t condone how I was living, but she understood some of my demons.”
INCLUSIVITY
Chelsea’s experience growing up with two famous parents has gone on to guide her adult life. After a stint working as a plus-size model in New York she set up her own successful agency, Bella Management, representing plus-size models and championing diversity and inclusivity. The agency is now celebrated in the industry.
“I was always drawn to being an agent because I liked that they seemed to have more control than the talent,” says Chelsea, who recalls being forbidden to use the phone between 4pm and 6pm in case Nola and Tony’s agent rang offering work.
“I always had amazing respect for whoever this ‘magical agent person’ was on the end of the phone, because they seemed to dictate so much of our life.
“Once one of [Dad’s] agents took off with all the actors’ money and disappeared,” she says. “I remember that
– it really stuck in my head. It messed up the finances for our whole family.”
When Chelsea started her own agency, it informed the way she did business.
“I always knew I’d do things in the right way, with integrity, and put the talent first, because I’d seen how badly my parents had been treated,” she says.
As a teen, Chelsea dabbled with the idea of becoming a model like her mum, but her natural curves meant she never quite fit the traditional mould.
She has a book out now, Body Image Warrior, about her experiences and her journey establishing Bella. “You shouldn’t compare children to their
‘I always knew I’d do things in the right way, with integrity’
parents – it’s such a damaging thing to do,” she says.
For the past two years Chelsea has hosted the Bella Unsigned Model Search, supported by Melbourne Fashion Week, which aims to uncover talent of any size, colour, gender orientation or age. “I love the quote, ‘The best weight you’ll ever lose is the weight of other people’s opinions.’ That’s what I want for everybody,” she says.
Body Image Warrior audiobook is out December 1. Apply for the Bella Unsigned Model Search until November 13 at bellamanagement.com.au/ unsigned-model-search