My first experience with “lights camera action” began at the age of four years old when I made my first TV appearance on Romper Room.

Although quite shy by nature I must have enjoyed the feeling of being up in front of an audience as from here on in my life has been a journey of artistic expression through dance, acting, presenting and exercise.

I would constantly dance around the house and beg my mother to put me into ballet lessons. After much persuasion she finally agreed and thus begun fourteen years of hard work, dedication and passion to excel in an art form which is not for the faint-hearted! I attended the McDonald College of Performing Arts where I learnt ballet before, during and after school hours. I was in my element- how lucky was I to be going to school and being able to do what I loved?! I left school at sixteen to take up ballet full-time, taking my training to an elite level and being accepted into the Premier State Ballet Company dancing lead roles in The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and The Nutcracker.

Two years later I had to come to the sad realization that I taken my ballet career as far as I could. A ballerina is an aesthetic image of ethereal slimness and nature had not intended me that way developing too many curves in all the wrong places! In addition, reoccurring injuries of stress fractures & broken bones cemented my decision to end my ballet career at the ripe old age of eighteen.

I went back to school to study for my Higher School Certificate. To my delight I did quite well achieving a UAI of 95. I started working in customer service for a large corporate company and as a sideline hobby began Cheerleading for the Sydney City Roosters. This is where I was introduced to the world of modeling. My first modeling opportunity came through Ralph Magazine who chose me to shoot for a special edition on Cheerleaders.

From here on in I featured in Magazines such as, FHM, Inside Sport, Fast Fours, Cosmopolitan, Wedding Ideas, Hot Fours, Off the street, Australian Natural Body, ADB magazine and many more. I also began to participate in Sports Modeling Competitions where I unexpectedly achieved the titles of Miss Summertime, Ms Bikini NSW and making it to the national finals in competitions such as Inside Sport, Spin TV and Queen of the Clubs.

Back on the professional front I moved up in the company to a marketing position where they sponsored me to study for a diploma of marketing. I was working full-time, studying part-time and trying to fit in my exercise and modeling. Made for one very busy girl and many late nights but I successfully graduated with a diploma of marketing.

Part of my role at work involved training people. Ironically, I could get up on stage in a bikini but talking in front of a room full of people was enough to make my stomach turn. Never one to turn my back on my fears I enrolled in Max Rowley’s Media Academy where I learnt to use my voice on a professional level. It was here that I discovered a love of talking or rather a love of sharing my personality with an audience. I began to focus my attention on a career in TV presenting because getting to show the personality behind the face is so much more rewarding.

As TV presenting is an ongoing goal I needed to set myself a new goal to work towards in the meantime. Other than ballet what was something I had always wanted to do? AEROBICS OZ STYLE! I used to get up religiously every morning and grapevine along with Cheeta, June, Wendy and the team. I had always wanted to be on the show and now I was set on making that a reality.

I went and sat the FIA fitness leader’s course in Aerobic Instructing, a few months later auditioned for the show and voila, I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to be a part of the team. It is without a doubt the biggest highlight of my career. Getting paid for doing something I love and working with a lovely group of girls is just fantastic I do feel extremely lucky to be doing a job that I have a passion for.

So that is my life to date! I have reached a level where I have the best of both worlds, I have my Aerobics Oz Style, part-time “real” work, time to train, and time to focus on my modeling/TV presenting career. To say I am blessed is an understatement but it does not come without hard work, determination and an iron will never to give up on one’s dreams.

Please stay tuned for further chapters in the life of Miss McCracken and many thanks for your support and interest.