Bombs away: Fitness guru Rachael Finch jumps headfirst into Channel 7’s Cannonball course

RACHAEL Finch is chuffed to work on a show she can watch with her three-year-old daughter Violet — and excited to unleash he inner daredevil.

RACHAEL Finch is ready to put her money where her mouth is.

As referee on Seven’s new game show, Cannonball, she cheerily sends contestants on their way down a four storey-high waterside.

But ‘Finchy’, as co-hosts Ben Mingay and Tim Ross call her, is no shirker, having first tackled the course herself. As you might expect of a Miss Universe Australia contestant (2009), she flies through the air with style.

“I was the guinea pig, the demonstration model if you want to call it that,” she says.

No stranger to daredevil antics, Finch, 29, grew up in Townsville, where she was a keen waterskier.

“Every Sunday when the sun rose we’d pack up and get out on the water until the sun set. It was our weekly family ritual that I absolutely loved,” she says.

Finch at home earlier this year. Picture: John Appleyard

“So when Seven approached me to be part of a show that was water-based I was very excited.”

This year, audiences went wild for Nine’s Ninja Warrior — an obstacle course for elite athletes — which Finch attributes to people “wanting to laugh” and relax in front of the TV. The show achieved phenomenal ratings, giving fresh hope to free-to-air networks.

On Cannonball, unlike Ninja Warrior, fitness and strength isn’t a prerequisite for teams. In fact, on some challenges, it could be a disadvantage.

“The Blob, for example, is about how high you can get,” Finch says. “Fitness definitely doesn’t play a part in that. The lighter you are, the harder it is.

Finch and husband Michael Miziner run an online health and fitness program. Picture: Supplied

“It’s not meant to be serious, and it’s very family friendly, that’s what I love about it.”

Family life is important to Finch, who is a Myer ambassador and runs an online health and fitness program, Body of Dance (B.O.D with husband Michael Miziner, who she met when she was partnered with him on Dancing With the Stars in 2010.

The pair have two children, Violet, 3, and Dominic, six months.

Mother/daughter selfie with Violet. Picture: Rachael Finch

“My husband is like a second mum to me. I always say if he had breasts he’d be breastfeeding as well,” she says.

“He’s fab. We’re very lucky to be able to work together. We’ve very focused on our online programs, loving every second of it.”

In 2016, Finch was heavily criticised for saying she enjoys child-free weekends with her husband.

“Every weekend [Violet] goes to Mish’s mum’s house,” she told the Daily Telegraph.

“I think that’s incredibly healthy for the relationship. And on Sunday, when we pick her up, we have 100 per cent energy back.”

Given the inevitable mummy-shaming backlash and commentary pieces that ensued, she might be forgiven for stepping away from social media. But instead, Finch maintains her high profile online, and enjoys interacting with her followers.

Finch is a Myer Ambassador with fellow model Kris Smith. Picture: AAP

She has sought advice on important questions, such as naming baby Dominic, and whether or not to have a third child, something she is still considering.

“I’m still deciding,” she says. “In a year or two we might reassess the situation. At the end of the day, after chatting with the girls, the end result is to just be in the moment and enjoy what I’m doing. We’re just soaking up Dom being six months old at the moment.”

Finch says she has made “incredibly genuine” friendships online with people she wouldn’t otherwise have met, and points out the support she receives on Instagram.

“I get some of the most genuine feedback across all my posts. I am so grateful.

“Mums in the same situation, feeling and thinking the same things, I get their honest opinions on what they think I should do. It’s beautiful. It’s the true gem of social media, the ability to share and communicate with like-minded people going through the same thing. We’re all the same, we ponder the same things in life.

“I always think of it as an exaggerated version of real life interactions. In real life, you won’t come across all those encounters at once.

“There’s turbulence in life in relationships. There’s amazing quality in real life relationships. Social media just amplifies it to the max. We share the beauty, and also the downfalls.”

Cannonball, Seven, Wednesday and Thursdays, 7.30pm