Sonia Kruger reveals her VERY surprising date to the Logies - as she reveals plans for a wild night out after flashing a ring on wedding finger
The 59-year-old TV favourite commanded attention in a jaw-dropping strapless gold gown by Victorian fashion designer Alin Le' Kal that clung to her incredible figure and shimmered under the red carpet lights.
Speaking to Daily Mail, Sonia revealed that her date for the evening was none other than her sister, Deb.
'This is actually my sister who's my date for the evening,' Sonia said with a smile. 'There's a great team of people who are all here tonight.'
When asked about her hectic work schedule juggling The Voice, Big Brother, and Dancing with the Stars, the Gold Logie nominee credited her strong support network.
'You know what my secret is? There's a great team of people,' she said.
And while many stars planned an early night, Sonia was ready to let her hair down. When quizzed on her post-show plans, she didn't hesitate.
'Oh, I'm out. I'm partying. I'm partying,' she laughed.
The metallic number featured intricate embellishments along the sides, accentuating her toned physique and giving her look a futuristic edge.
But what really caught the attention of attendees was the huge yellow gem shining on her ring finger, surrounded by smaller diamonds.
The TV star has been in a relationship with former Channel Seven executive Craig McPherson since 2008.
The two began their romance shortly after Sonia split from her British banker husband, James Davies.
Sonia was all smiles as she strutted her stuff down the red carpet, making sure the huge ring was on display.
Her gown featured racy, full-length cutouts down both sides of her body with dangling diamante chains.
Sonia kept her accessories to a minimum for TV's night of nights, opting for simple elegance as she sported stacked rings on one hand and a massive gem on the other.
The Dancing With The Stars host also rocked a fresh burgundy manicure, nude lip and smoky eyes as she styled her blonde locks into loose waves.
Sonia and Craig tend to keep their romance relatively private, but she gave a rare glimpse into their 16-year-long relationship earlier this year.
In July, the television host spoke to Stellar Magazine about Craig's departure from Channel Seven, where he was the network's Director of News and Public Affairs for nine years.
Craig was responsible for programs including 7NEWS, Sunrise and The Morning Show until his abrupt departure in April.
Breaking her silence on the decision, Sonia told how it was the right move for their family as she reflected on how they are pillars of support for one another.
'One thing Craig has always been for me – and I for him – is rock solid,' she shared.
'And in an industry that can be fickle at times, you need to have someone who's in your corner. We certainly are that person for each other.'
'Craig has had an incredible career... He's not ready to retire, but I think he needed to step back from such a demanding job, especially when we have a child who's nine,' she went on.
'She requires his attention at times, as do I. The timing was right for him to step out. I'm excited to see what comes next.'
'I'm biased, but he really is one of the best in the business. I know there will be something fun that comes for Craig where he can actually indulge a passion, which is sport. So, who knows?'
The Strictly Ballroom star has previously admitted her romance with Craig was a slow burn.
Speaking to The Anj, Rob & Robbo Show in 2021, Sonia said she and Craig used to have many heated arguments when he was her boss on current affairs show Today Tonight, several years before they became romantically involved.
'He's one of the toughest taskmasters there is. You would know. You get very little praise from Craig, but you will definitely hear about it if you've made a mistake or you've missed something,' she said.
However, Sonia got to know another side to Craig years later, after she'd left Today Tonight and was hosting reality show Dancing with the Stars.
She revealed Craig had reached out to her when her father was ill in hospital, which led to them reconnecting and starting their romantic relationship.
'He'd obviously heard about it, and he sent me a very kind message,' she said. 'And from that point, we started talking and reconnected.'
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Time Out
an hour ago
- Time Out
Review: This Chinatown-adjacent bistro serves California cuisine out of a beautifully restored Victorian bungalow
In spite of the mythos surrounding chefs and the intangibles of hospitality, the success of a restaurant often boils down to a few smart real estate decisions, and the three-month-old Baby Bistro is no exception. The buzzy, self-described 'bistro of sorts' is the final piece of the puzzle completing Alpine Courtyard, located in Victor Heights. As of writing, the trendy commercial complex is single-handedly gentrifying the tiny, oft-forgotten neighborhood at the border of Chinatown and Echo Park, just north of the 110 freeway. The place's vintage charm is obvious before you even spot Baby Bistro, which you'll find tucked away towards the back of the complex. Owned and painstakingly developed over several years by preservation-minded architect-developer Jingbo Lou, it consists of six converted buildings, including a 1908 Craftsman house and three Victorian era homes (one of which houses Baby Bistro), arranged around a brick-lined central courtyard with a lush, carefully maintained garden full of banana trees, bougainvillea and plenty of herbs and vegetables. In a city of sun-bleached asphalt, minimal shade cover and other hostile urban features, it feels downright heavenly to step into Alpine Courtyard. By day, Angelenos pick up plant-based pastries at Bakers Bench, specialty caffeinated drinks from Heavy Water Coffee and gourmet banchan from Perilla LA. After 4:30pm, when Perilla closes up shop, the only eatery left standing is a satellite outpost of Cassell's Hamburgers, which operates out of the same space as Bakers Bench. Finally, at 5:30pm, Baby Bistro opens its doors, offering veteran chef Miles Thompson's wonderfully unorthodox approach to farm-to-table cooking, a reasonably priced natural wine list by Lolo Wine Bar alum Andy Schwartz, and one of the most delightful restaurant back patios in all of Los Angeles. The narrow, sparsely decorated 35-seat space still feels like the house it once was. (In fact, Schwartz told me an elderly former resident visited Baby Bistro in its first weeks in business, just to see what they'd done with his old living space.) From the get-go, there's the warm hospitality offered the minute you check in with the host—wait too long for your reservation, and you'll likely be offered a free glass of wine while killing time outside—and pint-sized open kitchen, where Thompson can be found working most nights of service. Though Baby Bistro's six-item menu is ostensibly offered à la carte, the menu is designed to be ordered in its entirety and split between two people (yes, like a tasting menu), which ends up costing somewhere in the neighborhood of about $100 per head before drinks, tax and tip. Personally, I consider that a little on the pricey side for what is, at the end of the day, mere seasonal wine bar fare, but the endearing bungalow atmosphere more than compensates, and the chef's culinary talent translates into some of the most deliciously irreverent California cuisine in the city. This is, after all, Thompson, the same child actor -turned-culinary wunderkind who opened Echo Park's short-lived but critically acclaimed Allummette in 2013 (throwback!) and oversaw pioneering California cuisine spot Michael's in Santa Monica from 2016 to 2018. At first blush, the cooking at Baby Bistro is almost as understated as the space and scene itself. Almost every night, stylishly dressed couples and groups of friends hang out sipping glasses of wine, aperitifs and for the non-drinking set, cold barley tea—a refreshing non-alcoholic option perfect for sipping on a balmy summer evening. But as with Baby Bistro's small back patio, where the banana tree grove and pink foliage make you feel like you're on a reality TV show set on a tropical island, the small menu conceals another unexpected surprise: a level of technical brilliance and creative ambition mildly constrained by its modest footprint and menu scope. Like an above-average A24 film that shines in a sea of nostalgia reboots and live-action remakes, Baby Bistro scores major brownie points just for trying In 2023, Schwartz and Thompson first made a splash in the L.A. dining scene when they debuted Baby Bistro as a summer pop-up inside Koreatown's Hotel Normandie (home to the original Cassell's, which is also owned by Lou) and changed the menu essentially every other week. Thus far, the permanent version of Baby Bistro has offered far more culinary stability, which might be a boon for some diners and a bore for others. I'd be remiss not to mention the housemade cheesy onion bread, piled high with funky, bright orange Liptauer, which has become such a crowd favorite it seems unlikely to leave the menu entirely. The same bread can be ordered plain and à la carte for sopping up sauce from the main-like plates, including the recently added prawns in puttanesca sauce. When available, add on the housemade terrine, served with charred broccolini, a dish so wonderful and complete in its own right that I don't even recommend ordering bread on the side. There's also the cucumber and squid salad, dressed with white tamari, yuzukosho, lemon zest and resplendent flecks of dried red shiso, and the pleasantly crunchy salad made of, among other ingredients, turnips, locally made tofu (from Gardena's Meiji Tofu), raspberries and crushed pistachios. The succinct menu downplays the complexity contained in each dish; each item is listed as its main two ingredients, e.g. 'cucumber, squid' and 'turnip, tofu' for the salads I just described. At meal's end, Thompson turns heads (and some stomachs, from what I've heard from friends) with his trendy vegetable dessert course: a pine nut cookie topped with cucumber cremeux, poached rhubarb, fennel fronds and white wine vinegar. In general, the chef enjoys mixing sweet and savory, and is mostly successful with this. In my experience, the newer menu additions have been a little hit-or-miss, including the middling buckwheat-topped chicken sausages, which have replaced an earlier coulotte steak served with wood ear mushrooms. Nevertheless, a handful of strong staples and the undeniably quaint ambience have contributed to Baby Bistro's current status as my pick for L.A.'s best new restaurant. Another major factor? The city's industrywide slowdown that's has led to dozens of restaurant closures since January and relatively few buzzy openings this summer. Naturally, this has pointed the media's collective attention toward places that may have, in other years or seasons of the L.A. dining scene, fallen into 'beloved neighborhood restaurant' or 'excellent spot for the next time you're in the area' territory. After a second visit in early July, I can say that Baby Bistro belongs in both of these (still quite respectable!) categories, unless you are an absolute fiend for all things California cuisine. Like an above-average A24 film that shines in a sea of nostalgia reboots and live-action remakes, Baby Bistro scores major brownie points just fo trying at a time when everyone else seems to have all but given up on remotely affordable, chef-driven dining. In many ways, the restaurant is similar to Tomat in Westchester and Vin Folk in the South Bay; all three eateries serve a more accessible version of chef-driven cuisine at a price point more palatable for weekly date nights and group special-occasion dinners. 'If you were in Europe, you would stumble into it, have an incredible meal and never remember what it's called and try to figure it out for the rest of your life. That's the idea of this restaurant,' Thompson told the Los Angeles Times in 2023, describing the concept behind Baby Bistro. Sure, I find that romantic, but the reality is that Baby Bistro isn't located in Europe. It's in one of the most car-centric cities in the United States, where 'stumbling' (or, for many, driving to a more walkable part of town) is largely premeditated and a semblance of social media and marketing strategy is essential to a new restaurant's success. Given the cute atmosphere, however, I'm happy to overlook a few shortcomings and circle the block for parking.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
I'd never wear budgie smugglers – but I did once help smuggle a budgie
Incredibly, given all the trouble in the world, we were short of an item or two on my BBC radio show recently. Someone suggested something about budgie smugglers coming back into fashion. Hardly very Reithian, is it? On the other hand, we all need a break from the dark stuff. And anyway, it turned out there was plenty in the budgie smugglers story with which to inform, educate and entertain our listeners. For a start, we needed to define the term. I'd been banging on about budgie smugglers on the radio all morning when I got a text from my mum demanding I explain what the devil these budgie smugglers were. In fact, she was so unfamiliar with the term that she spelt it phonetically using her Croatian keyboard, which renders it 'bađi smagles'. So, to be clear, we're talking men's swimwear, with bađi smagles being the tight, not-leaving-much-to-the-imagination style, as distinct from rather more modest swimming shorts which, mercifully, have become the norm. The tight ones had fallen out of favour but now, someone read somewhere, they were making a comeback. Eyewateringly tight swimming pants have been referred to as budgie smugglers for barely a quarter of a century, the description originating in a 1998 Australian television series called The Games, which satirised the 2000 Sydney Olympics. We can only wonder what kind of twisted mind came up with it, or indeed what kind of gentleman's arrangement they saw that looked as if there might have been a couple of budgerigars down there. I for one have never seen such a thing and certainly have no desire to. I can't get past the thought of some fella, engaged in rearranging things, inadvertently releasing a couple – or would it be three? – relieved budgies, freeing them to live better lives. If the fashion comeback is for real, it'll be good news for the Australian brand, Budgy Smuggler. Shame on them for the spelling but we'll let that pass. Their website says they are 'On a mission to free the thighs of the world'. That's an interestingly demure take on the purpose of their gear. I've always taken these things to be less about freeing anything and more about a) packing things up rather too snugly and b) showing off what there is to be proud of, including, but not restricted to, the thighs. I, needless to say, am very much a swimming shorts man. If you'd given the matter any thought, I hope you'd have reached this conclusion. Take any man, and it's clear which way they lean when it comes to swimwear. Ronaldo's a smuggler all day long. I'd be staggered if a single pair of swimming shorts had ever seen the inside of his wardrobe. Lionel Messi, on the other hand, shorts all the way. Have a Google of this and you'll see I'm right. There is, to be fair, the odd shot of Ronaldo in shorts, but only in ones tailored tight enough to suggest that some kind of smuggling operation is indeed under way. Messi, though, is 100% standard shorts, bless him. In politics I have our prime minister in shorts, as is only right and proper. The only male member of the cabinet I can see in smugglers is Hilary Benn, for some reason. Across the floor, I can imagine Robert Jenrick keeping him company. Nigel Farage, shorts. Lee Anderson, definitely smugglers. Feel free to play this game at home. On the radio I was enjoying myself no end with all this when a listener texted in alleging that in France, budgie smugglers are mandatory! How I laughed! But it's true. Jump into a public pool wearing shorts and you'll be hauled right back out. Hygiene reasons, apparently. I'd have thought that shorts, allowing a bit more freedom and ventilation, would be healthier. But the logic is that you might have been in shorts all day before getting in the pool, whereas you're unlikely, even in France, to have been a man about town in your contrebandiers de perruches. You may by now be wondering if my level of interest in all this is entirely healthy. Well, the truth is, I once had a hand in a budgie-smuggling operation – that is, the smuggling of an actual budgie. I'm not proud of it, but it's time to come clean. In mitigation, this was in the 1970s and I was but a child. Auntie Lily and Uncle Sid, Lily being my grandad's sister, had long lived in Perth, Australia. But now they decided to live out their days back in Birmingham. They brought with them a budgerigar called Timmy. Timmy was a most excellent budgie. He'd tilt his head in a sweet way when whistled to, say the odd word, and fly around the front room without crapping everywhere. They loved Timmy. We all loved Timmy. But Lily and Sid didn't love life back in Birmingham, so resolved to return to Perth. Disastrously though, the rules were such that Timmy wouldn't be allowed back into Australia. Disaster. Lily – pardon the slight pun – hatched a plan. She'd smuggle Timmy back to Oz in her handbag. The Timmy training commenced. Day by day we accustomed him to ever longer periods of handbag time which, being a prince among budgies, he soon got the hang of. During the flight Lily planned to feed him and let him out for a quick flap when she went to the toilet. Departure day dawned. The jeopardy was very real. If, God forbid, they were rumbled and Timmy was to be confiscated, Lily even had with her something with which to euthanise him. Quite where she sourced this budgie poison, I know not. But off they went on a flight that still feels like the longest flight I've ever taken, even though I wasn't on it. The wait was awful. Then a three-word telegram arrived: 'All is well.' Oh, the joy. And the three of them lived happily ever after. I am now bracing myself for letters about some ghastly avian health calamity that subsequently came to pass down under, with the finger pointing at our Timmy as budgie zero. Please let it not be so. If it is, as my penance, I'll wear nothing but budgie smugglers, in and out of the water, for the rest of my days. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Lineker could stick two fingers up at BBC and front ITV World Cup coverage
It is the big question to emerge from Gary Lineker's reported return to television with ITV weeks after he was forced to quit the BBC. Would he commit the ultimate act of revenge on the corporation by fronting its arch-rival's World Cup coverage? It seemed unlikely he would be given the chance after the 'anti-Semitic' rat emoji he reposted on Instagram back in May wrecked his bid to use next summer's tournament to bid farewell to his 30-year BBC career. But while an unreserved apology for his latest social-media misstep – one he said was not intentional – was not enough for corporation chiefs fed up with his political activism, ITV bosses have taken little time to come to a different conclusion. Indeed, there could hardly be a more ringing endorsement than picking Lineker to front a new game show – called The Box – which has been tipped to fill the void left by one of its biggest hits, presented by its biggest stars: Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway. What The Sun has dubbed a 'huge deal' for Lineker has inevitably fuelled speculation that all this could eventually pave the way for him to join ITV's World Cup presenting team. This has hardly been dampened by the silence from both parties in response to queries on Wednesday about whether that might end up being the case. Lineker planning to travel to the World Cup Bookmakers have also begun slashing their odds in anticipation of a flurry of bets on just such a move. Lee Phelps, a spokesman for William Hill, said: 'After leaving the BBC just three months ago, Gary Lineker has been quick to switch to ITV, reportedly penning a deal to present new game show The Box. 'With the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico next year, we think it's likely, at 1/3, that Lineker is in line to present ITV's coverage of the tournament.' For Lineker, there would be every incentive to accept an offer from the broadcaster, which shares the rights to the World Cup with the BBC. Last week, in his first interview since he lost his job, the 64-year-old told The New World, formerly The New European, that he thought his apology should have been enough to spare him the axe – hardly the words of someone at peace with his departure. Public relations consultant Mark Borkowski told Telegraph Sport: 'When you're sort of 'castrated' away from a position, you want to prove that you're absolutely the polished populist – which he is.' But sticking two fingers up to the BBC would not be the only motivating factor for a man who repeatedly topped its list of highest-paid stars before his exit. Telegraph Sport has been told that despite blowing the chance to front the corporation's World Cup coverage next summer, Lineker is still planning to travel to the tournament to anchor his increasingly lucrative The Rest is Football podcast. That is after last year's European Championship helped make the podcast one of the UK's most-listened to, largely thanks to Lineker and co-hosts Alan Shearer and Micah Richards being mainstays of the BBC's coverage. And while the corporation would doubtless fund Shearer and Richards's World Cup trips, a contract with its arch-rival would help support Lineker on what could prove an expensive endeavour criss-crossing North and Central America for an expanded 48-team tournament. Borkowski said: 'I'd be very, very surprised if he didn't front ITV's World Cup coverage. 'That's his sweet spot and he clearly wants to do that. And there might be a deal to be done. 'He's not going to be under scrutiny for his wage, and so his agent can cut him a great deal.' But not everyone is convinced Lineker would be willing to put his Match of the Day legacy on the line in such a fashion. Des Lynam, whose decision to do just that back in 1999 handed Lineker his big break with the BBC, said: 'I can't imagine him doing it, really.' For ITV, meanwhile, there are plenty of reasons why it might turn to Lineker next summer. Love him or loathe him, he is a major star who would guarantee a bumper audience for his first fixtures on the network – not least for the curiosity factor. With the BBC replacing him with one or more new World Cup anchors in the shape of Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates, this may also allow ITV to steal a march in any ratings war between the broadcasters.
