Q&A with Lauren Hannaford
Lauren Hannaford has been keeping herself quite busy since putting down her Dorothy the Dinosaur suit. Having recently married ‘Red Wiggle’ Simon Pryce and appearing on Australian Ninja Warrior, she is the owner and creator of FHIT by Lauren Hannaford – an efficient and effective online workout program. We catch up with Lauren ahead of her appearance at the ARIA Awards with Simon (The Wiggles have been nominated again for Best Children’s Album).
How did you get your start in the industry?
I was always really active growing up as an elite gymnast so it was pretty safe to say, I would find myself being active in my career one way or another. I also grew up with a huge passion for performance so when I was asked to join The Wiggles troupe from 2010-2014, I was thrilled to be able to explore that passion whilst still flipping around the stage.
Best part of what you do?
I love that I can now marry my love of fitness with performing through my FHIT by Lauren Hannaford workouts whilst also helping change people’s lives for the better.
And the worst part?
Only having 24 hours in a day to be able to do it. I LOVE what I do so my brain is constantly ticking over and I am always wanting to be actively creating more for my current and future FHIT members.
Any interesting experiences you can share?
Ooh I am sure there are many! The one that jumps to mind at the moment is when Simon and I were asked to tackle the Australian Ninja Warrior course for Season 2…with one week’s notice! We looked at each other and thought, uh-oh, people train for this for a year, there is no way we can do this in one week! Practice or no practice, we knew that we would have such a great time together so there was no other answer but YES, count us in. It was an amazing and challenging experience and we had the best time doing it. We didn’t put any competitive pressure on ourselves and just said we would go out there and enjoy it, which is exactly what we did.
Favourite venues to hang out in?
My husband Simon and I love to go to the Coogee Pavilion. It’s always our go-to venue as it’s got a nice relaxed vibe. Whether we go for a coffee, a wine or a meal, it’s always good and is close to home which is a bonus.
Take us through a typical day in the life of Lauren Hannaford.
My work life doesn’t have much of a routine which I love as it always keeps me on my toes and is always different and exciting. However, I do try to keep my day typical and consistent with my health and activity. I wake up at 6am, have two big glasses of water and then make myself an espresso to sit and sip on whilst I think about what the day is ahead. Then I get my joggers on for a morning workout – I prefer training in the morning. Post-workout, Ill grab a banana if I’m in a rush or make myself two eggs and some avocado on toast. I then flip open the laptop and get stuck into emails, meetings and content creation for the day. Along with whatever else I might have on that day like photoshoots, filming, interviews etc. If Simon is away on tour, then we would have probably already spoken about 15 times by this point, haha. Whether we are together or apart, we always make sure we are both involved in each other’s day.
How will you be getting ARIA ready this year?
First and foremost, Simon and I will wake up and have our morning espresso together and talk about the day. Then we will do one of my 45 minute FHIT workouts outside in the fresh air before heading up to Huxton’s at Bronte for some breakfast. It’s a long day so a big delicious brekkie will keep us going for a while. Then it’s glam time! The amazing Kenneth Stoddart and Heidi Scarlett King will be doing my hair and makeup this year. Once glam is done, it will be time to frock up, throw on the party shoes and head to the ARIA red carpet. Fingers crossed Simon with the other Wiggles win Best Children’s Album this year.
© Danny Canak
