Sonia Kruger reunites with co-stars of Strictly Ballroom for the first time in 30 years

It was sparkling all-round when Strictly Ballroom stars Paul Mercurio, Tara Morice and Sonia Kruger – aka Tina Sparkles – reunited for the first time in 30 years.

Love was in the air when the stars of Strictly Ballroom reunited for the first time to mark 30 years since the Aussie classic first hit the big screen.

Sonia Kruger – who became a household name thanks to her role as Tina Sparkle in the Baz Luhrmann hit – reunited with Paul Mercurio and Tara Morice.

Tara Morice, Paul Mercurio and Sonia Kruger toast their reunion. Picture: 7 News

The trio took a trip down memory lane to Granville Town Hall in Sydney’s west, where the iconic dance competition scene from the 1992 movie was filmed.

“It’s quite momentous for the three of us to all be here together, to be able to watch the movie, to see those costumes, and in fact, to have John Paul Young perform,” Kruger tells Channel 7’s Spotlight program.

“It still makes me happy. Ask any of my friends,” she said.

“I’m the first one usually to crank up the music and make everyone dance at a party because I just think it brings joy to people, and there’s nothing better.”

Paul Mercurio and Tara Morice in Strictly Ballroom.

The Gold Logie-nominated presenter reminisced about her breakout role, which saw her quit her “real” job in hotel sales on the day of the Sydney premiere.

“It was one of the greatest times in my life really because I had zero responsibilities and I hadn’t long been in Sydney,” Kruger, who was born on the Gold Coast, said.

“And all of a sudden, this whole world opened up.

“I’ve said this to Baz: ‘If it wasn’t for Strictly Ballroom, I wouldn’t have a career’.”

Sonia Kruger as Tina Sparkles in the 1992 film Strictly Ballroom. Picture: Supplied

A professional ballroom dancer, Kruger recalls staying up with her mother Margaret for “hours on end” sewing costumes together.

“We would sit up at night beading costumes and we just lived and breathed ballroom dancing. That’s all I did as a child,” she said.

“I think the movie made ballroom dancing cool. And then there was this huge influx to dance studios around Australia. Everybody wanted to learn to dance.”

Paul Mercurio in the lead role performing the Paso Doble.

The film was an instant hit when it burst on to screens in 1992.

The 56-year-old revealed her young daughter Maggie only recently learnt of her mother’s life as a dancer.

“I actually showed some of the movie to my seven-year-old the other day because she’s never seen it,” Kruger said.

“I was looking at some YouTube clips and she was like, ‘I didn’t know you could dance so well, Mummy.’ It was like, ‘oh, it’s so weird.”

Tara Morice reveals how she only got the role of Fran thanks to the backing of director Baz Luhrmann.

“It wasn’t until the night before they started shooting that I got the phone call that I’d got the part,” she said.

“And it was really because Baz stood up for me … someone told me a story that it was one of those final meetings where Baz said, ‘it’s Tara or nothing’.”

The film brought ballroom dancing into the mainstream.

Paul Mercurio, who played the role of Scott Hastings, joked he could never finish a beer in a pub thanks to John Paul-Young’s hit Love Is In The Air.

“He owes me money [joking],” Mercurio said.

“After Strictly … I don’t mind going to a pub for a beer and I’d go into a pub and if there was a band or someone and they saw me, before I could even have two sips of my beer, they’d play Love Is In The Air. And then people would want to dance with me, so I’d have to leave.

“So I left three quarter pints of beer everywhere … and so he owes me.”

7 NEWS Spotlight, Strictly Ballroom – The Encore, airs 7pm Sunday on Channel 7 and 7 plus