HOLLY VALANCE is an actress who is best known for her role in Australian soap Neighbours back in the 90s.
The star, who embarked on a pop career after her breakout role on the popular show, is now married to billionaire Nick Candy.
Who is Holly Valance?
Holly Valance is an actress, model and musician from Australia.
She was named Holly Rachel Vukadinović at birth.
The star was born on May 11, 1983, in Victoria but grew up in Melbourne.
Valance’s father, Rajko Vukadinović, is from Serbia and her mother Rachel is of English and Spanish descent.
Valance has a sister called Coco and a half sister on her dad’s side called Olympia.
Olympia Valance has also starred in Neighbours and played Tahlia Woods in Australian drama series Playing for Keeps.
Holly moved to the UK when she was 18 but relocated to Los Angeles a few years later.
After seven years in the US, Valance returned to live in England.
Speaking about her travels as a youngster, Valance told Social Investor in 2021: “Because of my acting and singing career, I was travelling the world by the time I was 16.
“Although I came out of that time unscathed, in hindsight, I was a very brave teenager and I would definitely teach my own children to be way more careful when they get to that vulnerable age.”
How did Holly Valance get famous?
Valance found fame after she was cast as Felicity “Flick” Scully in Neighbours in 1999.
The actress, and her character, proved popular on the show and in 2000 she won the Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent.
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Valance left the soap in 2002 to pursue a music career and released her debut album Footprints that same year.
The album boasted her famous hit Kiss Kiss, as well as singles Down Boy and Naughty Girl.
The star released her second – and final – album State of Mind in 2003.
In 2004 Valance returned to acting, appearing in episodes of the television series CSI: Miami and Entourage.
She also had a recurring role in Prison Break in 2006, as Nika Volek, and in 2008 she landed a part in the film Taken alongside Liam Neeson.
Valance took part in the 2011 series of Strictly Come Dancing and was paired with professional dancer Artem Chigvintsev.
The pair were eliminated in the semi-final of the competition, finishing in fourth place.
Who is Holly’s husband Nick Candy?
Valance married billionaire British property developer Nick Candy in September 2012.
Their wedding was held in Beverley Hills, Los Angeles.
Londoner Candy amassed his fortune, alongside his older brother Christian, as a luxury property developer.
He owns several high-profile buildings around the world, including a mansion in West London worth over £75million and a country home in the Cotswolds.
In 2022 Candy expressed interest in buying Chelsea but he later confirmed he would not be making a formal offer to take over the club.
In a 2019 interview Valance revealed that working around her husband’s busy career can be “tricky”.
She told the Made by Mammas podcast: “He worked on Christmas Day and even the day we practiced our vows [for our wedding] with the priest he took a call in the middle of it.
“He was like: ‘Got to take this sorry guys!’ I was like, ‘we’re at the altar practicing our vows’!
“So that’s who I married, I know that.”
Does Holly Valance have children?
Valance and husband Candy share two children.
Their first child, daughter Luka Violet Toni Candy, was born in London in November 2013.
She was then joined by little sister Nova Skye Coco in September 2017.
Valance has been open about her experiences as a first time mum.
She told Social Investor magazine in 2021: “I remember being very teary and tired for the first few weeks after my daughter Luka was born.
“I often say that the last day that I relaxed was the day Luka was born because I don’t think I would ever be able to stop worrying about my children.”
What is Holly Valance doing now?
In 2015 Valance became an Ambassador for The Children’s Trust, the UK’s leading charity for children with brain injury and neurodisability.
She also works closely with the charity Disability Rights International.
Valance hasn’t worked in TV since 2015, apart from a brief appearance on (what was at the time) the final episode of Neighbours as her character Flick in 2022.
The soap was cancelled in 2022, leading many past stars like Kylie Minogue to return for its finale, but revived by Amazon Prime in 2023.
Valance appeared at the 2024 launch of the Popular Conservatism group, a political faction led by former prime minister Liz Truss, in February 2024.
In an interview with GB News from the launch, Valance backed former business secretary Sir Jacon Rees-Mogg for Prime Minister.
