Delta Goodrem has spoken about the darker side of fame after being targeted in two separate stalking cases, while also reflecting on her first year of marriage to Matthew Copley and insisting her career is "just getting started" at 41.
The Australian singer discussed protecting her private life in an exclusive interview with Stellar magazine, in which she also looked back on a year that included representing Australia at Eurovision, performing at the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony and celebrating her first wedding anniversary.
Stalking allegations and safety concerns
In May this year, a man accused of harassing Goodrem online and attempting to find her home address was charged with using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend. Police sought an apprehended violence order to protect both Goodrem and Copley.
It came after another man was convicted of stalking her in 2020.
Asked how she copes with that side of fame, Goodrem said the people around her worked hard to keep her life grounded and protected.
"Everybody tries their very best to keep everything in reality and [as] protected as possible with love and compassion, but also understanding there are boundaries still to my world," she said.
An intimate wedding in Malta
Those boundaries have mattered even more since Goodrem married Copley in an intimate ceremony in Malta last June. Although she has shared some images of the wedding with fans, she said the day was deliberately built around family and close friends rather than a public spectacle.
"When it comes to weddings, it's up to the two people and who they are individually. What made it special for us [was] it was intimate," she said. "Even though the dress was big, the church was big, it was family and close friends. It was perfect, a fairytale. We got to go back to Malta and have our one-year anniversary there while we were over [on] this side of the world. So that was special."
Despite years of performing for large crowds, Goodrem said she felt unexpectedly calm walking down the aisle.
"I was extremely relaxed about the wedding. I knew I was gonna be like this because of all the other pressure cookers that my life is. I got to marry the love of my life and be with my family and friends in a location that was just ours," she said.
Eurovision and two decades in music
Goodrem's marriage came during one of the busiest professional years of her career. In May, she represented Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, finishing fourth in the grand final, more than two decades after she first found fame with her single "Born To Try" in 2002. The contest, held annually among competing countries, is one of the most watched live television events in the world.
She said she was overwhelmed by the support she received from home during the contest.
"At this point, with all the different seasons of growing up with everybody, to feel that love and support in that moment, that energy from Australia, I felt it with all my heart. As if everyone had an Australian flag and was waving it with me," she said.
Next up: Strictly Come Dancing
Goodrem is now preparing for another challenge, having signed on to compete on the upcoming season of Strictly Come Dancing, the BBC's celebrity ballroom dancing competition, in the UK next month. Rather than treating the show as a one-off, she said she hoped to use the experience to push her career further.
"I'm just getting started! I'm very excited to step onto the ballroom. I welcome the skill set that I can hopefully take to the tour next year. You never know, [maybe] I can bring ballroom dance to my show," she said.
Goodrem also has a new album and world tour on the horizon, more than two decades after establishing herself as one of Australia's best known singers.
