Saint Nick Riewoldt's inner sanctum a double act with fiancee Catherine Heard

THE  influence of Nick Riewoldt's bride-to-be, Catherine Heard, is already showing around his home.

Catherine Heard

THE wedding is not until the end of the season but the influence of Nick Riewoldt's bride-to-be, Catherine Heard, is already showing around his home.

The St Kilda captain opened his home to the cameras of Better Homes and Gardens and the segment will air on Channel 7 tonight at 7.30pm AEST.

"I won't take all the credit," he says about the inner Melbourne house's neat appearance and decor. "I've been raised well and Catherine's added a feminine touch to the place since she moved in."

And that means that football mementoes are placed in the background.

"I prefer to decorate the house with stuff that we both like and keep it away from being a footy shrine," he said.

"So I've got a few little (footy) pieces tucked away but nothing really out on show." One of those is a cabinet full of footy awards and silverware.

"They're all pretty special, I suppose - every one has a story and experience behind it," he said.

"When you're in a club, best and fairest is a great honour, so I've been fortunate enough to do that."

He rates the AFLPA award he won in 2004 as "pretty special", but apologises to the man it honours for the way it has been kept.

"I'm sorry, Leigh Matthews, it needs a bit of a clean-up, needs a bit of a polish. It's looking a bit ratty," he said.

The kitchen plays an important role in the Riewoldt home.

"I certainly enjoy cooking," he says.

"I find it pretty therapeutic and it's also important, I suppose, when you're a sportsperson to watch yourself and watch what you eat. "The best way to do that is to cook and prepare it yourself."

Heard is happy to give Riewoldt his head in the kitchen, although when it comes to coffee, she runs the spanking new Sunbeam cafe series espresso machine.

"I'm lucky 'cause Nick loves to cook and always serves up an amazing meal," she said.

"It's a team effort, though - desserts are my domain and I'm the resident barista using our Sunbeam machine.

"I need coffee for my late-night phone calls with my family back in Texas."

Riewoldt and Heard will marry in October in her home town of Waco, Texas.