Sonia Kruger explains what went wrong with Logies speech

EXCLUSIVE: Gold Logie winner Sonia Kruger has opened up for the first time about her acceptance speech, revealing how exhaustion and hunger saw her “vague out”, and candidly admits: “I’ve rewritten that acceptance speech in my head over and over again.”

Sonia Kruger with her Gold Logie. Picture: Getty

A few weeks ago, I was reminded of what it felt like to go out all night and tie one on when I ended up in the thick of the Logies afterparty.

For the first time, people from every TV network were invited to an all-in soirée, and it was going off. The music was pumping, everyone was dancing and I was holding the Gold Logie… it doesn’t get any better, right? So why wasn’t I having the time of my life? To understand, we need to rewind. So let’s go back to the beginning.

The day started well enough at 8am with hair, make-up and styling. Four hours later (Todd McKenney says it takes six people to build me) I was ready to assume my co-hosting duties with Dr Chris Brown on the Logies red carpet.

Eventually, I made it off the carpet and into the auditorium, just as the main course was being inconveniently removed and the show was starting.

Gold Logie 2023 winner Sonia Kruger the morning after her win by the pool at The Darling Pyrmont, Sydney. Picture: Richard Dobson

Now, it’s no secret the Logies is a long show. Even with an MC as brilliant as Sam Pang, it took a fortnight to get to the bit where they handed out the Gold Logie.

By this stage I was deliriously tired, had completely vagued out and was in my happy place fantasising about eating a cheeseburger.

It was around this moment that my name was announced, and I had 10 seconds to make my way to the stage. Once I got there I realised I had a speech prepared… in my bag. But I was

now standing in front of a microphone.

No worries, I told myself, just wing it. So, ignoring the age-old rule that preparation is key,

I tried to crack a few jokes that (in my head) were funny, but went down like a lead balloon with the equally exhausted audience. In that moment, I wanted a trapdoor to open up and drop me straight through it to a Chinese restaurant and a plate of san choy bow – which is my other happy place.

Sonia’s column features inside this weekend’s edition of Stellar.

After an out-of-body experience in which I witnessed myself being involved in a slow-motion car crash of television, I was taken backstage, a glass of champagne was handed to me and I was ushered into the afterparty.

The vibe was amazing, everyone was congratulating me and taking selfies and yet inside I was mortified. To put it simply, I had dropped the ball. I had let myself down along with my partner, my family, my friends and everyone who I had ever met and who was kind enough to vote for me (thank you!). I’ve rewritten that acceptance speech in my head over and over again ever since, and it’s time to stop. On reflection, we can often be our own worst enemy. I have a lot of friends who are the same. We strive so hard for perfection, all the while knowing perfection is impossible to achieve. And sometimes, because of this relentless drive to be flawless, we miss the moments to celebrate.

It had been eight years since a woman had won the Gold Logie, which is definitely something to celebrate. And there are many people – both friends and colleagues – I would like to have thanked personally on the night. Luckily, I’m pretty sure they know who they are.

As one of my buddies told me afterwards, “Sonia, most people who know you like you because you’re real. And you do tend to stuff up a lot.” So instead of trying to rewrite history, let’s raise a glass to the fact that none of us is perfect. Cheers to that.

Sonia Kruger hosts The Voice and Big Brother on the Seven Network.

Originally published as Sonia Kruger explains what went wrong with Logies speech