The 18th season of The Block has sprinkled some star power on its Tree Change edition, and we’re not talking about Scotty Cam.
Former Neighbours actress and Melbourne socialite, Sharon Johal, 34, and her husband Ankur, 41, are already fan favourites – and it’s not hard to see why.
They’re gorgeous, have bucketloads of personality and they’re the only couple without renovation experience.
Here, WHO chats to the underdog duo’s most glamorous half about the new season, tossing in her law degree and her gruelling journey to motherhood.
You’re finally back home in Melbourne after a very long and tough few months.
I’m still kind of recovering, but we’re doing really well. We finished filming a couple of weeks ago and I’m like, ‘Why am I still so tired?’ I’ve had past contestants tell me it does take a couple of months to get back into your routine, and also your nervous system has been exploited for three months – no sleeping and hard labour. I’m one of those people that can’t just sit idle, so I’m trying to be kind to myself and recover. But the show is now on the telly, so I’m reliving it all again (laughs).
We’re loving the new tree change concept.
I’m curious to see whether the audience will understand the real scale of it all. When you’re there it’s very different, particularly this season where so many elements are different. It’s a beautiful landscape, but it was brutal. Australia seems to be really connecting to the whole tree change concept, as we did.
Would you consider a tree change yourself?
Abso-f–king-lutely. I grew up in a country town on an acreage with vineyards and big spaces. Living in Melbourne, we endured the longest lockdown in the world. For the space and the beauty of the landscape, and getting back to nature, we would 100 percent consider a tree change.
You got off to a rough start – there were lots of tears. Are you happy with how you’ve been portrayed?
Every second of the day you’re covered, you’re recorded. There’s a lot more that you don’t see. But so far, it seems pretty true to life!
Fans are loving you and Ankur as a couple and team.
My husband is really open about his feelings. He talked about his anxiety and mental health – he’s a sensitive man. For the wider audience to see a man that’s not afraid to open up, that can only be a good thing.
The show can be a great launching pad– do you see yourself pursuing a career angled at design or renos?
Absolutely. I’ve copped it a bit. People say, “Why is she on here? She’s an actress and he’s an accountant.” We can’t win. You can be multifaceted as a person. You don’t need to be defined by your professions and can have dreams to build your own home just like everybody else. We want to give it a crack. Yes, I’m a lawyer, but I’m an artist at heart and a creative. I love drawing and design, and I’m heavily into fashion and supporting local designers and artistry. I can definitely see myself going down that path, whether it be homewares, renovation or project management.
Now to your acting career, how did you get the balls to ditch your law degree and job to pursue your dream?
I always wanted to do it. When I was little I would put on concerts and performances for my neighbours. It was my dream, it’s who I am. The reality was and I respect my parents for this, they wanted me to get an education behind me. Being a working actor and making a living out of it is hard, and living in this country and being a woman of colour, the chances are even slimmer. While I was studying law, I was still taking acting classes and going to auditions. While I was working as a lawyer, I was taking night and weekend classes to really hone my skills so that when I did get that opportunity, I could easily shift. When that opportunity came, I was like, “See ya!” In saying that, if I need to go back to law I will, because we all need to make a living.
Neighbours ended last month after 37 years. While Kylie Minogue and Margot Robbie returned for the finale, you don’t have such fond memories working on the soap…
People have different experiences in different workplaces, and I’ve put that behind me and worked hard to move forward and not be sad about it anymore. I don’t want to be defined by things that have happened to me in my life. I want to look back positively and help people along the way, which is why I spoke up about it when I did. I put myself in the firing line as a whistleblower, but I know for a fact it made positive changes for people after me. It did really shake things up, particularly in the Australian media landscape.
You’ve been very open with your fertility struggles – how are you going?
Funnily enough, I finished my egg freezing right before I went on The Block. It’s an important thing to talk about for a number of different reasons. Women do it tough. The more we talk about it, the more we normalise it. I bring a different part to it because of my ethnic background. Within my community, nobody talks about it. After my husband and I spoke about it, a number of people came forward and said they’d had miscarriages, too. They would say that some days they couldn’t get out of bed and couldn’t talk to anyone about it. Others would say, “I don’t know why I can’t have a baby, I really want a baby.” Then there were others who didn’t have a partner and felt the pressure because they’re in their 30s.
What’s next for Sharon and Ankur?
My husband had to go straight back to work, and I’ve got Girl at the Window coming out and lots of auditions. And then there’s lots more that’s going to happen this season on The Block. It’s next level!
The Block: Tree Change airs Sundays 7pm, and Monday–Wednesday, 7.30pm on Nine Network.
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