Twenty-one years have flown by since Casey Donovan won the second season of Australian Idol as a mere 16-year-old. Now, she is a bona fide national treasure!
But as much as Casey is loved for her powerful voice and mesmerising musical theatre performances – she’s currently starring in the national tour of Sister Act – too much attention has often been placed instead on her private life and weight.
“I’ve always spoken very honestly about all aspects of my life – the highs and the lows, the good and the bad,” Casey says.
Now, in an exclusive chat with New Idea, Casey is opening up about another very personal journey she’s currently on.
“In the middle of last year, I quietly began a little health and fitness program on my own,” she explains.
“I’m 36 now and I finally realised that, if I want to be healthy and fit at 40, I need to take some real and lasting preventative measures now.”
With dreams of having kids with her fiancée, Renee Sharples, in the semi-near future, Casey has partnered with weight-loss program Juniper to help her achieve her goals.
The program combines medication with health coaching and dietitian support.
“I’d gone to my doctor to talk about what options there were for me around my weight, aside from surgery,” Casey explains.
“I’d already started looking into medical weight-loss options and then Juniper came along.”
Casey is keen to point out “it’s not cheating and there is no shame” in seeking medical help to address weight issues – if that’s what feels right for you.
“I’m doing this for me at the end of the day,” she says.
“So if anyone has a problem with my choice for my body – I don’t care!”
In addition to the medical element of the program, Casey, who also won I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here in 2017, is following an eating and exercise plan that involves three meals and two snacks a day.
“It’s working so well for me so far,” she says. “For the first time in my life, the food noise has been silenced.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve constantly thought about what I can eat and when, but now, that noise just isn’t there. That is so freeing and liberating.”
For Casey, it’s not about getting to a certain number on the scales.
“I’m just trying to get myself to a place where I don’t have to worry about diabetes or heart disease and one where I can continue to do what I love and be with the people I love for as long as possible,” she tells us.
After Casey ends her acclaimed run in Sister Act, she’s jumping straight into another musical, Kimberly Akimbo. She is also working on some new music of her own.
Given her schedule is so jam-packed for the next 12 months, wedding planning is currently on hold.
“I keep joking that Renee and I should send out ‘save the date’ cards … for 2030!” Casey says with a laugh.
Instead, the star is just enjoying her engagement to the “incredibly supportive” Renee, whom she met via a dating app in 2020.
“I’m in such a good place in my life right now,” Casey adds.
“But the next piece of the puzzle for me is to become the healthiest version of myself that I can.
I’m feeling incredible, and I’m confident that I’m on the right path this time.”
