Former child star Nikki Webster has come a long way since her iconic performance at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
From topping the charts with Strawberry Kisses to appearing on Dancing with the Stars and The Masked Singer, the 36-year-old has had quite the illustrious career.
Nikki now runs her own children’s dance studio and has two kids of her own, Skylah, eight, and Malakai, five.
With her wholesome image, it’s easy to forget that Nikki once had a wild phase that kicked off when she turned 18.
The singer stripped down for lads’ mag FHM on her 18th birthday in a bid to shed her squeaky-clean child star image.
Strawberry Kisses singer Nikki Webster (pictured) had a wild phase in her twenties that has been forgotten by many
Despite sparking backlash at the time, Nikki went on to pose for Zoo magazine in another racy photo shoot.
A few years later, Nikki attempted to relaunch her music career with the sizzling dance track Devilicious.
The accompanying music video saw the scantily clad songstress gyrating up against shirtless male back-up dancers as they performed racy choreography together.
In her twenties, Nikki moved to Los Angeles, partially to escape the the negative press attention she was receiving in at the time.
‘I was the punchline of everyone’s joke and I was just a kid,’ she said in 2015.
The singer stripped down for FHM on her 18th birthday in a bid to shed her child star image
Nikki went on to pose for Zoo magazine in another racy photo shoot
The public criticism that followed Nikki’s rise to fame almost drove her out of the country for good.
‘It was quite dark and I think that’s why I went to LA, because I thought, “I need to do this by myself,”‘ she admitted.
‘I did question whether I wanted to come back as an artist here at all.’
The singer admitted she had never expected to be judged as harshly as she was and it was a hard thing to cope with as a teenager, relating the experience to Tall Poppy Syndrome.
Nikki says at the time she was focused on working hard on her career but wasn’t getting the reception she had anticipated.
She was also dealing with harsh public backlash over her image as she felt pressured by the public to remain as the little girl who graced the Olympic stage in a sweet summer dress and golden locks tied with pink ribbons.
A few years later, Nikki attempted to relaunch her music career with the sizzling dance track Devilicious
The accompanying music video saw the scantily-clad songstress gyrating up against shirtless male back-up dancers as they performed racy choreography together
These days, Nikki is happy focusing on motherhood while running her popular Sydney dance studio.
She attempted a comeback in early 2020 by casting an n version of the hit U.S. reality series Dance Moms based around her studio, but the Covid pandemic derailed production.
In August, Nikki told Woman’s Day she was so busy raising her two kids that finding Mr Right was not a huge priority following her split from husband Matthew McMah.
‘I hope one day the right person will come along and it will just happen. But I’m really happy with being a mum, it’s my favourite job in the world,’ she said.
Nikki rose to fame in 2000 when she performed at the Sydney Olympics Opening Ceremony
Nikki added she didn’t even know where to begin looking for love in this day and age.
‘What do you do, where do you go? Online dating is a whole new world,’ she said.
The Sydney native was married to Matthew McMah from 2012 to 2018.
Nikki rose to fame in 2000 when she performed at the Sydney Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, which she used to launch her career as a pop star.
Nikki now runs her own children’s dance studio and has two kids of her own, Skylah, eight, and Malakai, five (both pictured)
The song went on to become the unofficial anthem of the Matildas’ 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup team, resulting in renewed popularity for Webster.
She recently celebrated the 15th birthday of her studio, Dance @ Nikki Webster.
‘We’ve got the two studios — this year we’re celebrating 15 years which is just amazing,’ she told Sunrise in August.
‘We’re just so passionate and we’re just so grateful to have been on the journey of so many incredibly talented students along the way and they’re part of their dance family.’
READ MORE: Nikki Webster performs her iconic hit Strawberry Kisses during Matildas ceremony
