Samantha Jade is no stranger to reality television. Her singing career was kick-started on X Factor in 2012, when Guy Sebastian saw promise in the pint-sized performer and mentored her to become the first woman to win the Australian series. She showed another side of her personality in Celebrity Apprentice, in a feisty cohort of high-profile figures, including Underbelly actor Vince Colosimo, Real Housewives Of Melbourne star Gamble Breaux, musician Amy Shark and Married At First Sight personality Beck Zemek.
But when it came to getting the call up for Dancing With The Stars, her answer had long been a polite “no”. “I think it was out of fear of jumping into something that I haven’t done before, and something that’s different and challenging,” Jade tells STM. But last year, the singer threw caution to the wind and finally said yes.
“I got asked again, and I (thought) ‘what is holding me back?’ I spoke to people that have done the show and everyone had the best things to say about it: ‘You have to do it. It’s one of the best experiences. You’ll learn so much.
You’ll love it’,” she recalls. “I thought, I’m going to throw myself in the deep end and just do it.” The passing crisis of confidence that saw her hold off on the series is out of character for the Perth-born-and-raised star, a self-confessed “dreamer” who has believed in herself and her talent from day dot.
Jade has spent a lifetime performing, whether it was in the family home wi.
