Latest news with #SASAustralia
West Australian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Michael Usher overthinks everything, except his toe-tapping decision to go on Dancing with the Stars
If Michael Usher had given himself a chance to really think about joining the cast of Dancing with the Stars, he probably would've said no. 'It was such a rapid left or right turn out of my lane, and I kind of figured, 'what did I have to lose?',' he told The Nightly. 'Some people might look at it and think, 'What's he doing, that's not him at all'. If I asked all my serious mates in the newsroom, they would've thought I was mad, but I wasn't doing it for them.' Usher has been a TV journalist for 35 years and you've seen him reporting from Iraq, from the Olympics and from behind the news desk. You had never before seen him in a sequined waistcoat while moving his hips under a mirrored ball. When the call came, luckily, it wasn't for SAS Australia. That would've been an outright no. 'I would've had a heart attack in the first run up the hill, I think it would've killed me,' Usher speculated. But Dancing with the Stars was different. 'I asked the kids and they said yes, partly because I think they thought it would be new material for them to laugh at me a lot. They've got wicked senses of humour, those kids. 'At my age, when you get a chance to do something different and learn something new, why not? Even if it's very publicly. It's a great way to get on top of nerves and fears. I've done lots of serious things for a long time, and I know the temptation of just having a bit of fun, and learning something new was too good to pass up.' Usher may not have overthought the decision, but he did every step of the process. 'Even since doing (the show), I've danced every dance in my dreams, I've woken up thinking about it, I've danced the steps 10 million times over, (thought) about what I would've done differently, and how I might've looked differently,' Usher confessed. His dance partner, Natalie Lowe, had to pull him from his natural inclination to overthink it. 'She said, 'I really need you to stop using your brain, just feel it, I need you to stop thinking and being a journalist and asking questions, otherwise, we're not going to get these steps learned',' Usher recalled. 'It was good advice. Just shutting up and not asking questions is really hard.' Lowe wasn't the only one who had set Usher straight about his role in the show. His fascination with how Dancing with the Stars was put together – the editing, the music, the crews – prompted the producers to remind him that it was their show, and that he should just chill. For perhaps the first time, he was the subject. Usher is used to telling the story, not being the one answering the questions, something he's had to do a lot of due to the publicity demands of the competition series and now that he's up for a Logie in a new category, the Ray Martin Award for Most Popular News or Public Affairs Presenter. It's not a 'super comfortable' space for Usher, but he doesn't hate it. 'We all like to see people do something different and learn something new about the people we think we know,' he explained. 'I don't like that celebrity stuff, but I think people do like to see other sides of people, and that's not a bad thing. That's human life, that's just curiosity. 'I'd be pretty cynical if, after all these years of asking a lot of people to come and sit down with me and share their life story, if the opportunity then came my way and I said 'no way am I going to expose myself'.' Which is not to say he didn't consider the implications of how audience perception of him as a serious news man might change. 'You don't have to be a two-dimensional person,' he said. 'We live in a different era now and you can be a few different things. I've got a life, I've got a personality of my own, but I don't show it very much. I didn't mind showing that. I probably showed a little bit too much! 'The anxious side of it, maybe the daggy side of it, less sitched-up, buttoned-up, neat hair and curated. This was a bit more loose and freeform. But as the kids said, 'Just go and show everyone else what we see at home, people will either die laughing or just die for you'.' He didn't just learn a few extra steps on the floor, being the subject gave him a more mindful appreciation of the people he's usually asking questions of. And there are things he didn't give away – and is adamant should never give away as a journalist. He said that anyone who has ever balled up him for having an opinion about something political, they've been wrong. 'People want your personal opinion drawn out of you all the time. Fine, go and be a commentator or be an opinion maker. But if you want to have those views, there's no room for it in the 6pm news bulletin or Spotlight.' The public might know his thoughts on mastering a pasodoble, but they don't know how he votes. 'If they do, they're wrong,' he said. Some things are sacred but others – like how he and his kids have a deeper relationship now because of his jaunt on the dance floor, his daughter cried at every taping she went to, or that he's taking lessons with his partner – he's OK to share. What he took from the wild six months of pulling double duty as a news man and a dance man is the joy in giving it go. 'I love seeing my kids do that. I don't expect them to excel, but just give it a go. So, I took the same advice that I've given to my children.' The Logie Awards are on Channel 7 on August 3 at 7.30pm
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Michael Usher overthinks everything except when he said yes
If Michael Usher had given himself a chance to really think about joining the cast of Dancing with the Stars, he probably would've said no. 'It was such a rapid left or right turn out of my lane, and I kind of figured, 'what did I have to lose?',' he told The Nightly. 'Some people might look at it and think, 'What's he doing, that's not him at all'. If I asked all my serious mates in the newsroom, they would've thought I was mad, but I wasn't doing it for them.' Usher has been a TV journalist for 35 years and you've seen him reporting from Iraq, from the Olympics and from behind the news desk. You had never before seen him in a sequined waistcoat while moving his hips under a mirrored ball. When the call came, luckily, it wasn't for SAS Australia. That would've been an outright no. 'I would've had a heart attack in the first run up the hill, I think it would've killed me,' Usher speculated. But Dancing with the Stars was different. 'I asked the kids and they said yes, partly because I think they thought it would be new material for them to laugh at me a lot. They've got wicked senses of humour, those kids. 'At my age, when you get a chance to do something different and learn something new, why not? Even if it's very publicly. It's a great way to get on top of nerves and fears. I've done lots of serious things for a long time, and I know the temptation of just having a bit of fun, and learning something new was too good to pass up.' The Dancing With The Stars 2025 cast. Nicholas Wilson Credit: Nicholas Wilson / Nicholas Wilson Usher may not have overthought the decision, but he did every step of the process. 'Even since doing (the show), I've danced every dance in my dreams, I've woken up thinking about it, I've danced the steps 10 million times over, (thought) about what I would've done differently, and how I might've looked differently,' Usher confessed. His dance partner, Natalie Lowe, had to pull him from his natural inclination to overthink it. 'She said, 'I really need you to stop using your brain, just feel it, I need you to stop thinking and being a journalist and asking questions, otherwise, we're not going to get these steps learned',' Usher recalled. 'It was good advice. Just shutting up and not asking questions is really hard.' Lowe wasn't the only one who had set Usher straight about his role in the show. His fascination with how Dancing with the Stars was put together – the editing, the music, the crews – prompted the producers to remind him that it was their show, and that he should just chill. For perhaps the first time, he was the subject. Usher is used to telling the story, not being the one answering the questions, something he's had to do a lot of due to the publicity demands of the competition series and now that he's up for a Logie in a new category, the Ray Martin Award for Most Popular News or Public Affairs Presenter. It's not a 'super comfortable' space for Usher, but he doesn't hate it. 'We all like to see people do something different and learn something new about the people we think we know,' he explained. 'I don't like that celebrity stuff, but I think people do like to see other sides of people, and that's not a bad thing. That's human life, that's just curiosity. 'I'd be pretty cynical if, after all these years of asking a lot of people to come and sit down with me and share their life story, if the opportunity then came my way and I said 'no way am I going to expose myself'.' Michael Usher with dance partner Natalie Lowe. Credit: Seven Which is not to say he didn't consider the implications of how audience perception of him as a serious news man might change. 'You don't have to be a two-dimensional person,' he said. 'We live in a different era now and you can be a few different things. I've got a life, I've got a personality of my own, but I don't show it very much. I didn't mind showing that. I probably showed a little bit too much! 'The anxious side of it, maybe the daggy side of it, less sitched-up, buttoned-up, neat hair and curated. This was a bit more loose and freeform. But as the kids said, 'Just go and show everyone else what we see at home, people will either die laughing or just die for you'.' He didn't just learn a few extra steps on the floor, being the subject gave him a more mindful appreciation of the people he's usually asking questions of. And there are things he didn't give away – and is adamant should never give away as a journalist. He said that anyone who has ever balled up him for having an opinion about something political, they've been wrong. If you'd like to view this content, please adjust your . To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide. 'People want your personal opinion drawn out of you all the time. Fine, go and be a commentator or be an opinion maker. But if you want to have those views, there's no room for it in the 6pm news bulletin or Spotlight.' The public might know his thoughts on mastering a pasodoble, but they don't know how he votes. 'If they do, they're wrong,' he said. Some things are sacred but others – like how he and his kids have a deeper relationship now because of his jaunt on the dance floor, his daughter cried at every taping she went to, or that he's taking lessons with his partner – he's OK to share. What he took from the wild six months of pulling double duty as a news man and a dance man is the joy in giving it go. 'I love seeing my kids do that. I don't expect them to excel, but just give it a go. So, I took the same advice that I've given to my children.' The Logie Awards are on Channel 7 on August 3 at 7.30pm
The Age
14-06-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Jana Pittman on being a trainee obstetrician and raising six children on her own
A lot of the media coverage that focused on you was tough and, arguably, unfair. Was there an element of sexism at play? I wouldn't have thought there was an element of sexism, although someone did say to me once that if I'd had blonde hair, I probably would've been liked more. After I did [reality TV show] SAS Australia a couple of years ago, several journalists who'd given me a hard time through my career contacted me. One of them made me cry. They said to me, 'I just want to apologise: I recognise that some of the things I did and wrote about you were so wrong, and I understand now the impact that it probably would've had on your career.' Wow. I think it's one of those things where you have to roll with the punches. It certainly made me a lot more resilient, but it was a tough chapter to go through. Politics are about personal values. What are yours? My strong values are around equality for all: male, female, transgender. I'm in the middle of trying to create my foundation that will support people who are trying to push boundaries but who don't have the financial ability to do so. What do you think Australia gets right? Multiculturalism. What does it need to do better? Funding rural communities to have better access to healthcare. MONEY What's more lucrative, the track or medicine? [ Laughs ] Oh, good god. I lose money going to work – I pay more for childcare than I get paid as a [trainee] doctor. And when that little baby passed away, I thought, 'This is the worst possible thing to have happened, and I get paid $40 an hour to be here.' Obviously, that's before tax. But I'm in the very lucky position of having a job outside medicine, my public-speaking and media career. I couldn't do it without that. Loading What's the poorest you've ever been? At one stage, I had $18 in my bank account. Ugh, that's scary. Don't get me wrong: I owned my house, but the problem was, I couldn't access the equity in the property. It was entirely my fault: I've never been good with money. When I had my girls, Emily and Jemima, it was as a solo mom using a sperm donor [Pittman gave birth to these, her second and third children, in 2015 and 2016. She also has a son, 18, from her first marriage, and had another son in 2020, and twins, a boy and a girl, in 2022]. I started medical school and got an interest-free mortgage for five years. But medical school takes five years. What I didn't calculate is that when I took a year off to have my girls, my mortgage would double overnight. I was incredibly lucky that I was able to approach my father, who basically bailed me out.
Sydney Morning Herald
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Jana Pittman on being a trainee obstetrician and raising six children on her own
A lot of the media coverage that focused on you was tough and, arguably, unfair. Was there an element of sexism at play? I wouldn't have thought there was an element of sexism, although someone did say to me once that if I'd had blonde hair, I probably would've been liked more. After I did [reality TV show] SAS Australia a couple of years ago, several journalists who'd given me a hard time through my career contacted me. One of them made me cry. They said to me, 'I just want to apologise: I recognise that some of the things I did and wrote about you were so wrong, and I understand now the impact that it probably would've had on your career.' Wow. I think it's one of those things where you have to roll with the punches. It certainly made me a lot more resilient, but it was a tough chapter to go through. Politics are about personal values. What are yours? My strong values are around equality for all: male, female, transgender. I'm in the middle of trying to create my foundation that will support people who are trying to push boundaries but who don't have the financial ability to do so. What do you think Australia gets right? Multiculturalism. What does it need to do better? Funding rural communities to have better access to healthcare. MONEY What's more lucrative, the track or medicine? [ Laughs ] Oh, good god. I lose money going to work – I pay more for childcare than I get paid as a [trainee] doctor. And when that little baby passed away, I thought, 'This is the worst possible thing to have happened, and I get paid $40 an hour to be here.' Obviously, that's before tax. But I'm in the very lucky position of having a job outside medicine, my public-speaking and media career. I couldn't do it without that. Loading What's the poorest you've ever been? At one stage, I had $18 in my bank account. Ugh, that's scary. Don't get me wrong: I owned my house, but the problem was, I couldn't access the equity in the property. It was entirely my fault: I've never been good with money. When I had my girls, Emily and Jemima, it was as a solo mom using a sperm donor [Pittman gave birth to these, her second and third children, in 2015 and 2016. She also has a son, 18, from her first marriage, and had another son in 2020, and twins, a boy and a girl, in 2022]. I started medical school and got an interest-free mortgage for five years. But medical school takes five years. What I didn't calculate is that when I took a year off to have my girls, my mortgage would double overnight. I was incredibly lucky that I was able to approach my father, who basically bailed me out.
Sydney Morning Herald
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Jana Pittman: ‘I pay more for childcare than I get paid as a [trainee] doctor'
A lot of the media coverage that focused on you was tough and, arguably, unfair. Was there an element of sexism at play? I wouldn't have thought there was an element of sexism, although someone did say to me once that if I'd had blonde hair, I probably would've been liked more. After I did [reality TV show] SAS Australia a couple of years ago, several journalists who'd given me a hard time through my career contacted me. One of them made me cry. They said to me, 'I just want to apologise: I recognise that some of the things I did and wrote about you were so wrong, and I understand now the impact that it probably would've had on your career.' Wow. I think it's one of those things where you have to roll with the punches. It certainly made me a lot more resilient, but it was a tough chapter to go through. Politics are about personal values. What are yours? My strong values are around equality for all: male, female, transgender. I'm in the middle of trying to create my foundation that will support people who are trying to push boundaries but who don't have the financial ability to do so. What do you think Australia gets right? Multiculturalism. What does it need to do better? Funding rural communities to have better access to healthcare. MONEY What's more lucrative, the track or medicine? [ Laughs ] Oh, good god. I lose money going to work – I pay more for childcare than I get paid as a [trainee] doctor. And when that little baby passed away, I thought, 'This is the worst possible thing to have happened, and I get paid $40 an hour to be here.' Obviously, that's before tax. But I'm in the very lucky position of having a job outside medicine, my public-speaking and media career. I couldn't do it without that. Loading What's the poorest you've ever been? At one stage, I had $18 in my bank account. Ugh, that's scary. Don't get me wrong: I owned my house, but the problem was, I couldn't access the equity in the property. It was entirely my fault: I've never been good with money. When I had my girls, Emily and Jemima, it was as a solo mom using a sperm donor [Pittman gave birth to these, her second and third children, in 2015 and 2016. She also has a son, 18, from her first marriage, and had another son in 2020, and twins, a boy and a girl, in 2022]. I started medical school and got an interest-free mortgage for five years. But medical school takes five years. What I didn't calculate is that when I took a year off to have my girls, my mortgage would double overnight. I was incredibly lucky that I was able to approach my father, who basically bailed me out.
