WHO MAGAZINE ” Australia’s Got Talent judge Lucy Durack reveals why she isn’t taking maternity leave”
- August 16, 2019
A seasoned actress and performer, Lucy Durack knows what it takes to get up on stage in front of a critical crowd. That’s what makes her the perfect fit as one of this year’s judges on Channel Seven’s Australia’s Got Talent.
“It’s so nerve-racking and nerves can get in the way,” she tells WHO. “I wanted to try and be as warm and open as I could be and I was blown away.”
Adding that as a performer, “you’re your own worst enemy”, she explains, “I just wanted to be open and honest and just try and be supportive and not dismiss anyone too early.”
There’s another role of Durack’s that requires similar kindness and support – being a devoted mum to daughter Polly, 4. Durack and her husband Christopher Horsey are expecting their second child, a son, later this year.
Durack reveals that her work has shifted to enable more time with her family.
“I’ve actually been really lucky to do different, quite family-friendly things since Polly’s been born … it’s been really nice to have her come to work with me,” Durack says.
“When I did The Wizard of Oz she came and watched that multiple times and she’s been to watch Australia’s Got Talent a bit, and I’ve been doing a pantomime in Sydney, Jack and the Beanstalk, and she also came to that.”
And even with a second baby on the way, the leave’ The pregnant ‘Australia’s Got Talent’ judge talks life as a working mum Doctor Doctor actress shows no sign of slowing down, having already landed the role of Princess Fiona in the upcoming Shrek the Musical.
“I’m having a baby in October and I start Shrek about a month after that,” Durack reveals. “I finish AGT about a month and a bit before I have the baby so it’s all fairly tightly packed in.”
Despite her hectic schedule, Durack says she and her family can’t wait for their new member to arrive – especially Polly. “She is really excited to be a big sister. She’s such a big help now and she’s a 4-going-on-14-year-old,” Durack says. “A lot of her little friends in kindy have siblings and her cousin’s got a little brother, so she’s excited to join the siblings club.”
Yet the mum-of-two-to-be admits her life can be a bit of a juggling act and that her family will always come first. “We live in Melbourne now but I’m between Melbourne and Sydney all the time,” Durack says. “So any time with Chris and Polly is very precious and treasured.”