When Sonia Kruger's dad was sick, her former boss reached out. They've been together ever since.

For years, Sonia Kruger has dazzled Australians on our TV screens and now she's nominated for a Gold Logie. 

This is after already winning the Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television last year. 

She has hosted countless shows including Big Brother, The Voice Australia and most recently Kruger took to the stage as the fabulous co-host of Dancing with the Stars 2024. 

However, when watching DWTS you might have been wondering about the man who stands by her side off-camera. That is her long-time partner Craig McPherson, whose powerful presence behind the scenes is just as intriguing as Kruger's. 

The couple has been together for 16 years, and their journey is filled with moments of professional clashes, personal growth, and heartfelt support.

Despite being one of Australia's most famous TV personalities, Sonia has managed to keep her personal life relatively low-key, making their story all the more fascinating.

Who is Sonia Kruger's partner, Craig McPherson?

You may not have heard Craig McPherson's name before, but he's an industry veteran, having worked behind the scenes in television for many years. Until recently, he was the head of news and current affairs at the Seven Network, overseeing flagship programs like 7NEWS, Sunrise, and The Morning Show. 

Craig resigned from his position in April 2024 — but his and Sonia's love story started at the network in 2008, where he was her boss on Today Tonight.

Their early relationship wasn't exactly a fairy tale. In fact, it was filled with fiery debates, and Sonia has often joked about the heated arguments they would have.

Craig McPherson. Image: Seven

Speaking on The Anj, Rob & Robbo Show in 2021, Sonia explained, "He's one of the toughest taskmasters there is. You get very little praise from Craig, but you will definitely hear about it if you've made a mistake or you've missed something."

She continued, "I remember having a fight with Craig. I was filing a story. I was in New York doing a story with Jennifer Hawkins and Donald Trump, of all people. And I was filing this story at three o'clock in the morning. And for some reason, A Current Affair had wind of the fact that we were there, doing this story, and so for some reason, this has filtered back to Craig and I was on the phone, and he said something to me along the lines of, 'Well, why don't you feed it straight to Channel Nine, Sonia?'"

That statement was followed by Craig hanging up the phone on his then-entertainment reporter.

But a few years later, when Sonia had left Today Tonight and was working on Dancing With The Stars, her dad was very ill in the hospital and in a critical condition. It was at this time Craig reached out.

"He'd obviously heard about it, and he sent me a very kind message," Sonia shared.

"And so from that point, we started talking and we reconnected. So it was really after I'd finished working with him that our relationship started. And it's strange because we're polar opposites, too. I'm very showbiz and he's very news. But I like to think we complement each other."

Their longtime romance.

Navigating the complexities of their high-profile careers and Craig's six children from a previous relationship hasn't always been easy. Sonia's move to rival network Nine in 2011 added another layer of tension, with the star revealing that things could "get awkward".
Sonia Kruger. Image: Getty.

However, she returned to Seven in 2019, and the couple found joy in supporting the same side again, before Craig's exit from the network earlier this year.

"It's really nice to be barracking for the same team again, because it can get awkward," Sonia admitted on the Not Here To Make Friends podcast in 2020. 

"Like when you say, 'Yay! My team won!' But to be on the same side again is a good thing."

Sonia Kruger's fertility struggles.

Sonia has been refreshingly open about her struggles to conceive. In her late 40s, she turned to IVF and an egg donor, and in August 2014 the couple confirmed that they were expecting their first child together.

"It has been a long road, but Craig and I are delighted to finally confirm we are having a baby," she said in a statement at the time.

In January 2015, Sonia and Craig welcomed their daughter, Maggie.

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Sonia's transparency about her journey to becoming a mum later in life has been a source of inspiration for many women facing similar challenges. 

"We tried IVF and it wasn't successful," she told The Australian Women's Weekly in 2012.

She elaborated in an interview with Today's Entertainment Editor Richard Wilkins, explaining that she had used a donor egg to conceive. "I wanted to be really clear today on the show with our viewers and let everybody know I did go through IVF and I did have an egg donor.

"When you get to my age, to use your own eggs to have a baby, you're not really going to be successful. I mean the odds are sort of one in a million, and my doctors have been very clear with me because I've been through IVF before. So I have a very good friend who basically gave me an egg and that's how this pregnancy came about."

While Sonia said she would love to expand her brood, she told Australian Women's Weekly, "I would love to [have another child] but, I really feel like I shouldn't push my luck!"

Feature Image: Getty; Canva.

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