Nikki Webster 10 years on – It’s still my favourite frock

The darling of the 2000 Sydney Olympics shares her memories with Lucy Chesterson.

Holding the pink frock that made her famous, Nikki Webster marvels to think how it became one of the most enduring symbols on the Sydney Olympics Opening Ceremony in 2000. She can hardly believe she once fitted into the miniature outfit. “I was 13, but I looked about nine!” she laughs.

Indeed, Nikki seemed an impossibly small figure when the world saw her skip to the centre of the Olympic Stadium, in front of the 110, 000-strong crowd filling the venue, and the 3.8 billion watching her on televisions around the globe.

“It still feels like yesterday,” says Nikki, now 23. “I remember every detail of every position I had.”

Nikki stayed tight-lipped about being chosen over 12, 000 others for the role as Hero Girl in the ceremony, which helped Australia take the world by surprise when she soared through the sky. The little girl swimming among the fluoro sea creatures became one of the most fondly remembered moments.

“Everything was on target, despite the fact there was such a lot that could have gone wrong!” Nikki says, with relief that’s obvious even 10 years after her adventure. “The only small thing was a jellyfish bumped into me in the sky and I thought, ‘what’s that doing there? That’s never been there before!’”

But when Nikki’s feet left the earth, the young performer couldn’t have known she’d touch down in a world very different from the one she had left behind. Her flawless performance saw her become Australia’s new media darling. The instant she returned to earth, her young life changed forever.

“It was insane,” Nikki says. “I did my first ever interview at 6am the next morning, and from then on it never stopped.” Reporters from all over the world wanted to meet Nikki. “When I got home there was international media already camped out,” she recalls. “There were people everywhere at my house – on the front lawn, in my bedroom, in the lounge room.”

Over the past 10 years, the spotlight that shone on Nikki has never faded. The performer is now capitalising on her expertise by running a dance school and talent agency in Sydney – Dance @ Nikki Webster and Talent @ Nikki Webster – where she helps other kids realise their dreams.

Stroking the dress, Nikki says, “There’s a replica in a museum, but I keep the real one in a box. People always say I should have it framed, but I never have. It meant so much to so many people. It’s amazing for me to know I can still get it out and hold it in my hands.”

Source: Woman’s Day
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I’m back on top again

The Sydney Olympics sweetheart tells LUCY CHESTERSON how she bounced back from a string of career disasters

Catapulted into fame at the age of 13, Nikki Webster knows more than most about the highs and lows of being a child star. Nikki’s performance at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games opened plenty of doors, but it also brought the glare of the public eye – not easy for a girl who had only just entered her teens. With that sort of experience, she’s decided to put her career on the backburner in the hope of fostering a new generation of talent while protecting them from unscrupulous operators.

“There are a lot of sharks out there,” says Nikki, who is only 22. “I’ve been through a lot and my eyes have been opened to what this industry is about.”

For the past two years, Nikki has run successful Sydney dance school Dance @ Nikki Webster. She is not expanding it to include the boutique children’s talent agency, Talent @ Nikki Webster.

“We’re not trying to make a quick buck or flaunt these kids,” she explains. “I just want to use everything I’ve learnt to help steer them in the right direction.”

Nikki has had her share of lows, including a brush with depression last year when she found a close confidante had secretly siphoned her money into their own account.

She also endured a lonely trip to the US, where she “kept hitting brick walls” and would cry down the phone to her family – before heading home to start again. Nikki also endured cruel jibes about her fluctuating weight before settling back into her naturally tiny size-six shape.

“There are times in your career when you become very successful and there is a lot of work and everyone around you is happy,” Nikki says. “Then there are times when you’re not getting jobs, and that’s the hardest to cope with.

“I still have a passion for performing, and I miss it, but I’ve focused on the dance studio and the agency, and that’s my choice now. I’m on the phone to the kids in my agency night and day, talking about how they can advance their careers and making sure they don’t get swept away.

“That’s the thing I learnt. Stay true to yourself, and even though other people might want you to do something, unless you’re 100 percent comfortable then forget it.”

There’s no doubt Nikki, who counts Bert Newton among her industry friends, has her hands full with her talent agency and the hundreds of kids she is “mum” to at her dance studio. So for now her own bright star will have to dim a little to help those around her shine brighter.

Source: Woman’s Day
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