'You're my person': Jelena Dokic stuns Logies crowd with emotional tribute to Todd Woodbridge after Unbreakable documentary win

Sky News AU

a day ago

Beloved Aussie tennis champion Jelena Dokic broke down in tears on Sunday night as she accepted her first-ever Logie Award, and paid emotional tribute to fellow sports star turned broadcaster Todd Woodbridge.
The 42-year-old received the Silver Logie for Best Factual or Documentary Program for Unbreakable: The Jelena Dokic Story during Australian TV's night of nights at The Star in Sydney.
Dokic stunned on the red carpet in a shimmering custom Alin Le'Kal gown that matched her award, but appeared completely caught off guard when her name was called.
"Ooh! I know you said 30 seconds but I will need at least 30 to gather myself," she said as she took a deep breath.
"I'm actually in shock. I really didn't think this was possible and I didn't have a speech prepared."
Despite not having notes, Dokic quickly captivated the room with an emotional tribute that left many teary-eyed, including Woodbridge himself.
"Todd Woodbridge, I don't know where you are, there," she said, scanning the crowd.
"Todd. You're my person.
"I say that, and this makes me cry so much because I sat down with you on the table 11 years ago when I retired, and you said to me that I can be a commentator and speaker and bring my story to life.
"And I looked at you I said to you, 'I don't know who you're talking about, but you're not talking about me'."
Dokic described herself then as "a person who couldn't string two sentences together, look people in the eye, had no social skills left", and credited Woodbridge with giving her the belief to rebuild.
"You were the only one who believed in me, especially professionally. Thank you for that. I always say to everyone, 'Be someone's Todd', and I hope that everyone finds a Todd like I did."
As the camera cut to Woodbridge in the crowd, he too was seen wiping away tears as the room erupted into applause.
"You are a massive reason I'm standing here in every single way, you love to remind me every single day as well how right you are and that I still need to listen to you. So I will, and I always say, if everyone can have a father and a mentor like Todd, they would be very fortunate."
Dokic also used her moment to speak on behalf of fellow survivors.
"This is about a win for victims and survivors, especially of domestic violence and mental health, to not just have these stories heard, but for them to reclaim their life, to find their voice and to actually not just survive, but to thrive," she said.
The moment was talked about multiple times during the rest of the show.
One came after Woodbridge, who hosts Tipping Point Australia, went on to win the Bert Newton Award for Most Popular Presenter.
As he made his way to the stage, actor Angus Sampson wrapped him in a hug and quipped to the audience: "He's my Todd too."
The moment also went viral on social media, with one Instagram user calling it the "Speech to end all speeches".
Another user said that Woodbridge was clearly touched by her words.
"Congratulations...An amazing speech un rehearsed straight from the heart..So touching the way you honoured Todd's love and support in your life..could tell he was overwhelmed by your words...How special for you to have him as a trusted friend," they said.
On X, one user wrote, "Todd made a Wimbledon semi-final in singles. More importantly, he's Jelena's human."
Another added, "Her gratitude to Todd Woodbridge will stay in our memories."
Unbreakable, directed by Jessica Halloran and Ivan O'Mahoney and distributed by Roadshow Films, follows Dokic's harrowing but inspirational story, from surviving abuse at the hands of her father, Damir Dokic, to becoming a tennis icon and media figure.
Halloran also co-authored Dokic's memoir of the same name, published in 2017.
While Dokic recently went public with her new partner, Melbourne-based hospitality operations manager Yane Veselinov, she attended the event solo, as did many stars on the night.