Shelley Craft didn’t plan to get married twice, but this is how it happened

Shelley Craft is a TV presenter best known for her 25-year television career. The 46-year-old opens up about her parent’s divorce, the influence of her year 6 teacher, and her second marriage.

My paternal grandfather, Keith, served in World War II. He fell ill when he returned home and passed away when my father, Michael, was in his teens. Dad became the father figure in his family. He still keeps his father’s stories close to his chest and doesn’t really talk about him much.

“My mum and Dad had a lovely marriage until they didn’t – they divorced when I was in my 20s. They had a conscious uncoupling before it was a thing.”

Dad is a very charismatic man who still has a can-do attitude. He instilled that in me and my three siblings. Dad and I were born a day apart in June, some 30 years apart in age, and have always shared a birthday party. In my childhood that meant we were always somewhere between Brisbane and the snowfields near Canberra.

My paternal uncle Steve was a huge influence in my life. He taught me how to drive and was the cool, wild single bloke of the ’70s. He had a big beard and would throw me in the pool in the summertime, and rode a motorbike.

My mum, Sally, and Dad had a lovely marriage until they didn’t – they divorced when I was in my 20s. As they got older, they realised it was time to explore different things in their lives. They had a conscious uncoupling before it was a thing. They are still friends and share 12 grandchildren.

I was an equestrian when I was younger and that always meant early morning starts. Dad was the one who took me to every event. Nothing was ever too much of a problem for him.

I have two brothers – Mark is three years older and Scott is five years younger. I also have an older sister, Jackie. We were very tight as kids. Mark was very sporty. He came to live in Byron Bay when I launched my business to help out. Scott was always the favourite child and treasure of the family – he is very witty and charming.

My first crush was with a model, Joel Beeson. I had a poster of him on my wall. And I had a crush on Nic Testoni, who was also a model before he joined Home and Away. I ended up working with Nic and never told him!

I also had a crush on model Nathan Harvey as a teenager. He worked at the Myer Miss Shop in Chatswood [Sydney] and I’d go in there with my friends and aimlessly wander the department store for hours so I could spot him. I got a job at McDonald’s Chatswood, where he’d come in for lunch. I desperately tried to make eye contact with him whenever he did.

Mr Lakeman was my year 6 teacher at Kenmore South state school in Brisbane. He was very formative. My sister had him as a teacher as well, and our parents credit him as being one of the best – a great man with a fabulous attitude to life. He encouraged us girls to do anything we wanted to do.

I met my first husband, Brett De Billinghurst, at Movie World on the Gold Coast when I was 17. That was a very supportive relationship. It was just as I was embarking on a TV career and it felt challenging to be recognised in the street. He was my comfort. We had a beautiful romance and were married from 1999 to 2007.

My husband, Christian Sergiacomi, and I married in 2009. He worked as a TV cameraman and understands the industry and how you have to be ready for anything. We have two daughters.

Christian was raised by a single mum and they have an amazing relationship. He has taken it upon himself to coach the junior rugby team in Byron Bay, where we live. He wants to be a positive role model for men in our community and he is very encouraging of his daughters.

Christian and I never felt a need to marry. Then we decided it would be amazing to have a celebratory party with all our friends. I had a big white wedding the first time around, but this time it was more intimate.

Shelley is an ambassador for the RSL Art Union Prize Draw, which closes March 1.

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