‘I wouldn’t ask for special treatment’: Dannii Minogue hits back after quarantine backlash
Masked Singer judge Dannii Minogue has revealed why she spent time in a private quarantine after hitting out at her ex-employer, Channel 7, for their portrayal of her situation.
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Exclusive: Dannii Minogue has broken her silence on the private quarantine that sparked a backlash.
The singer and Masked Singer TV star spent 14 days in a self-funded private residence on the Gold Coast after flying in from Los Angeles on July 13.
The Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeanette Young approved Minogue’s quarantine, for which she had medical exemption, and insisted the singer received “no special treatment”.
However, Minogue was roasted online for what was seen as celebrity privilege – Queensland have given similar exemptions from default hotel quarantine to those in the film, aviation and oil industries, as well as consular officials.
“People didn’t know the details,” Minogue told News Corp exclusively. “The outrage was because people didn’t know all the facts. I’m the same person, I haven’t changed, I wouldn’t ask for a ‘celebrity’ treatment or to have anything special granted to me. I went by the book, I made sure my priority was keeping everyone safe – everyone. That would never change, that’s how I am as a person. I thought people knew me a bit better by now.”
Minogue, who suffers from claustrophobia, said she even went above the requirements necessary to enter into Queensland with ten-year-old son Ethan.
“I took a lot of time to pull the whole thing together so that the Queensland Government were happy, the Queensland health officials were happy and that I’m happy. I added extra things into (the COVID-19 safe plan) so I know that I can sleep at night.”
The story was broken by Channel 7, where Minogue used to work on X Factor and Australia’s Got Talent – she is now on Channel 10’s The Masked Singer.
“I feel like people know enough about me to think there might have been more details than what they were given by a Channel 7 news story. It felt like that piece that was really unfairly skewed.”
Like Nicole Kidman, who also has private quarantine sorted to start filming a miniseries in New South Wales, Minogue’s return to The Masked Singer will result in hundreds of jobs in the TV industry which has been hit hard by the pandemic.
After finishing her quarantine period Minogue is now back in Melbourne where filming begins tomorrow, with the series on air August 10.
All cast and crew will adhere to strict COVID-19 working restrictions including tests and social distancing.
As Melbourne’s lockdown means they cannot have a studio audience, the prerecorded shows will be streamed to a studio audience in Sydney who can vote on the mystery singers. All members of the audience will be temperature checked and must sign a health declaration.
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“I’m super pumped to get back to work, happy all of our cast and crew can get back to work,” Minogue said.
“I’m happy people are talking about all of the (COVID-19 safety) procedures in workplaces, until we have a vaccine that’s our reality. We can stick to what needs to be done, we can do it safely.
“It is so good for any industry to try and get back on its feet. So many people in the arts have suffered who really need to be back on set. I’ve grown up in this industry, it’s not the people you see on the screens, it’s the people you don’t see behind the scenes, they really need to get back to work so I’m happy for that. Keeping everyone safe is my number one priority.”
Full interview, Binge TV Guide, tomorrow
Originally published as ‘I wouldn’t ask for special treatment’: Dannii Minogue hits back after quarantine backlash