Inside the life and career of Belinda Sloane
Right now, priority number one is a brand new baby, but on top of raising a family with Crows star Rory Sloane, Belinda Sloane has been busy carving out a career in the media and business.
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She’s the beautiful wife of a champion Crow who’s been blazing her own trail in TV and in business while also raising a young family, which has just grown by one, with the arrival of a new baby girl. We take a look at the life and career of Belinda Sloane.
BACKGROUND
Sloane was born Belinda Riverso and hails from Melbourne.
TV CAREER
Sloane landed a part-time role with Fox Sports in Melbourne in 2015 and in 2017, co-hosted Channel 7’s red carpet special ahead of the Brownlow Medal.
In 2017 she landed a presenting job on Seven’s tourism, culture and lifestyle show SA Weekender. She has also worked on Seven’s SA sport show Footy Plus with comedian and broadcaster Amos Gill.
Belinda also appeared in the Amazon Prime AFL special Making Their Mark alongside Rory, in 2021, and took up a broadcast role in the Crows’ in-house television program The Crows Show at the start of 2022.
BEL AND RORY TIE THE KNOT
Belinda and Rory began dating in 2011 and tied the knot in Byron Bay in 2016.
The couple was married at Byron View Farm, with several prominent Crows among the guests.
On the big day, a smitten Rory posted a photo on Instagram declaring that he was about to marry “the girl of my dreams”.
COUPLE’S HEARTBREAK
In August 2018, after trying for a baby through IVF, Belinda and Rory suffered the heartbreaking loss of son Leo, who was stillborn at 34 weeks.
Speaking to Adelaide’s Today Tonight a year later, the couple described how their personal tragedy unfolded.
A few days after receiving a healthy scan, Belinda explained, she noticed her baby had stopped moving.
She called the couple’s obstetrician who ordered a new scan, the results of which confirmed their worst nightmare.
“I said to her (the woman performing the scan) ‘there’s not a heartbeat is there?’” an emotional Belinda told the program.
“And just said no unfortunately there’s no heartbeat”
It's been 12 months since Rory and Belinda Sloane had to say goodbye to their little man Leo after his heartbreaking stillborn birth. And now they're courageously sharing their story in the hope of helping others. @JessAdamson7#TTAdelaidepic.twitter.com/y199B5xeha
— TodayTonightAdelaide (@TodayTonightSA) August 26, 2019
“I can’t even remember the moments that followed to be completely honest.
“I couldn’t cry. I was just in complete shock”.
“I remember just looking at Belinda and just basically breaking down and going, ‘this is not happening’”, added Rory.
“He looked so perfect. He had no deformities, his skin was perfect, his face was perfect.”
“It’s hard to wrap your head around the fact he’s there and everyone’s telling you everything was perfect with him but we still can’t take him home,” Belinda said.
“That was definitely the hardest part, saying goodbye.”
“I don’t think the grieving process will ever end because that hole in our heart will never be filled - that hole is for Leo.”
LION WARRIOR
Following Leo’s death, Belinda and Rory joined forces with Red Nose Australia to launch Lion Warrior, a challenge to end stillbirth, which affects six families in Australia every day.
People who take on the challenges, can run, swim or walk to help raise funds.
“If we can help families prevent this from happening or they are unfortunate enough to go through a stillbirth, and we can provide them just that little bit of comfort or give them some guidance, that would be an unbelievable legacy for Leo,” Rory told Today Tonight.
In 2021, Rory also participated in a video series for Red Nose Australia called Fathers of Loss to give help and advice to dads, and their families, who had lost a child to stillbirth or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
BEL AND RORY’S BABY JOY
After the loss of Leo in 2018, Belinda and Rory welcome two more sons into the world; Sonny, who was born in September 2019, and Bodhi, born in January, 2021.
“Welcome to the world,” Belinda wrote in a post on Instagram that has attracted over 30,000 likes and more than 2600 comments and messages of congratulations.
Fittingly, the couple gave both Sonny and Bodhi the middle name Leo, in honour of their first-born.
In November, 2022, the couple welcomed their fourth child together, and their first baby girl, Summer Maree.
FOES ON THE FIELD, PARTNERS IN BUSINESS
As well as forging a career in TV, Belinda Sloane has also been gaining experience in the world of digital advertising.
In 2016 the Sloanes went into business with Rory’s on-field rival, Port Adelaide’s Kane Cornes and Cornes’ Lucy in a digital advertising company, Cornes and Sloane.
“We spent years throwing eggs at each other’s houses but then we finally got involved in business together,” Rory told AFL.com.au
“Lucy and Belinda are the key drivers of the business at the moment. Kane (with media commitments and the fire brigade) and I (as a full-time footballer) chip in where we can,” he said.
LOUNGE ROOM TOURISM CAMPAIGN
Along with their work with Red Nose Australia, Belinda and Rory have also given their time and support to other worthy causes.
In the wake of the 2019 summer bushfires, and shortly after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the couple teamed up with the South Australian Tourism Commission on the ‘lounge room tourism’ campaign, designed to encourage South Australians to keep supporting struggling businesses and tourism operators from the comfort of their own homes.
The Sloanes were recruited to “virtually” share some of their favourite places to eat, drink and explore.
“We are both really passionate about South Australia — it has so much to offer in terms of tourism,” they said.
“In SA we have world class food and wine, along with some of the most beautiful scenery and coastlines in the world.
“We really wanted to assist in sharing the unique ways that so many operators and businesses have adjusted to the current climate and are offering so much to us directly from the comfort of our own home.”
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