A
s a TV host, magazine editor and
interior designer, it’s easy to
imagine that Shelley Ferguson
would be the trendy mum, pulling up
to school drop-off each day looking
absolutely immaculate. Yet soon after we
sit down, she is laughing about how she
waved her two boys off to school from
behind the wheel, still dressed head-to-
toe in her pyjamas. This is a woman who
knows not to take things too seriously,
but it’s been a lesson hard-learned, from
challenges along the way.Family life
This year is Shelley’s fifth season as host
of The Block, supporting the four teams
as they compete against each other to
renovate and transform a historic
Auckland firehouse into high-end
apartments for auction. It’s a high-stakes
environment, but Shelley’s relaxed,
keep-it-simple style shines through in
each episode.Her own home is a Palm Springs-
themed abode, where she lives with
hubby Steve and sons Flynn, seven, and
Jett, six. When she’s not busy with work
or the kids, she is Steve’s number one
supporter; he has competed at the
Olympics in swimming and canoeing,
and at the world champs for surf
lifesaving. In recent news, he has
landed himself a spot as a
grinder on the Emirates
Team New Zealand
sailing squad,
defending the 2021
America’s Cup.
Their busy schedule
can be a lot to juggle,
but for Shelley,
everything comes back to
the people she has at home.
Her fun-loving spirit and family-
oriented approach to life were summed
up perfectly in an interview on the show,
when she was asked what three thingsshe couldn’t live without. Her answer?
Family and friends, wine and laughter.
“I guess you always look back to your
upbringing to get a sense of who you
are,” she tells Good Health & Wellbeing.
“I grew up in South Auckland. We had
a lot of family around there and not
much money, but we had everything
we needed and plenty of love.”
Yes, her younger years
were spent surrounded
by the love of family;
however, it was a
chapter of her life also
laced with challenges- a chapter which has
profoundly shaped the
way she approaches
life today.
“Mum was a bus driver
and dad was a builder. My mum
was the most positive person, she was
always positive about tiny things, until
she had a nervous breakdown. It was
pretty scary. I found her on the bathroom
floor; she had just kind of given up. Both
she and one of my brothers came out as
gay that year, which I was incredibly »
FOR LIFE
THE BLOCK HOST SHELLEY FERGUSON HAS
SEEN MANY CHANGES OF LATE, BUT SHE’S
EMBRACING IT ALL. SHE OPENS UP TO
ERIN FISHER ABOUT HEALING HORMONAL
IMBALANCE AND HER EXCITING NEW VENTURE
‘We had a lot of family around there and not much money, but we had plenty of love’
Design
‘I guess
you always
look back to
your upbringing
to get a sense
of who
you are’be informed
be nourished
simply be
be energised
be inspired