Photography: Phillip Castleton.
For the past 13 years, Simon Pryce has been busy entertaining youngsters around the world as the Red Wiggle. But when he’s not belting out the band’s classic hits, like Fruit Salad and Hot Potato, he’s a hands-on dad to his five-year-old son Asher, who loves to watch Simon perform on stage.
“Asher has his little red skivvy that he wears to our shows and it says ‘Daddy’ on the back, which is pretty cute,” shares Simon, 54, during our Woman’s Day exclusive photoshoot at his home in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.
“He loves music and sport. At his age, it’s really hard to know what direction he’ll go in, but he loves to sing, and he plays the guitar and keyboard.”
Simon and the rest of the Wiggles performed live in Hamilton and Auckland last weekend, with Wellington and Christchurch up next – and Simon says Asher is excited to be along for the ride.
“He’ll definitely be coming. He and Lauren used to tour with us all the time. The first tour Asher went on was to New Zealand when he was just eight weeks old.”
Staying fit on the road
In any given year, the Wiggles spend nine months performing worldwide for their young fans. This year, the iconic band and their colourful friends – Captain Feathersword, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Wags the Dog, Henry the Octopus and fan favourite Tree of Wisdom – have already performed all across the US and Canada.
“Sometimes in America, we’re on the road for weeks at a time, but Down Under, it’s not such a hard slog.”
With a young son and the Wiggles performing roughly 500 shows each year, keeping healthy and active is a top priority for Simon. Luckily, Lauren, 40, who is an ex-elite gymnast and personal trainer, is more than happy to help him stay in tip-top shape.
“All of Lauren’s workouts are bodyweight training and they’re all really functional,” says Simon.
“She has an extreme level of fitness and I’m somewhere in the middle. But having her motivation, skill and knowledge has been a huge help in maintaining my fitness.”
Finding love on the road
He’s not the first Wiggle to fall in love with a colleague, but Simon definitely has his job to thank for meeting the love of his life. The pair first became friends while touring together in 2011, when Lauren was the group’s gymnastics coach and also played various characters.
Simon was just starting out as Ringo the Ringmaster, before later becoming Red Wiggle. The friendship soon blossomed into love and they tied the
knot in a beautiful celebration at Sydney’s Luna Park, with the rest of the Wiggles gang cheering them on.
Now they’re touring together less and spending more precious time at home with their lively boy.
“Asher is just nonstop!” Simon laughs.
“He always wants to go to bike parks and kick a ball around. He’s very physical and wants to be active all the time.”
But when things are more quiet and relaxed, both Simon and Lauren make sure the screens are away, so they can focus on having as much fun as possible with each other – which Simon admits can be a challenge at times.
“I’m six-foot-four [1.93m] and when I’m crawling around on the ground, the joints can be a bit more sore than they used to be,” he says.
“But it’s important that I put myself aside in those moments for Asher, so I can engage and play with him on his level.”
Learning to be a better dad
While chatting with Simon, it’s clear he’s passionate about being the best dad he can be – and he hopes to inspire other parents through his podcast Wiggle Talk. Each week, he and Purple Wiggle Lachlan Gillespie share stories of their favourite funny and tricky moments that come with raising little ones.
“We started the podcast because we had questions about parenting, and Lachy and I thought if we have them, then other parents must have them too,” Simon shares.
“Together, we’ve learnt through talking to some incredible parenting experts that it’s so important to be present with your family.”
Although the Wiggles boast a discography of more than 60 albums and 2500 songs, Simon reveals they rarely get played while he’s at home.
“Classical music has always been my thing, but these days, we have a lot more children’s music,” he admits.
Simon stresses that it’s vital to have some quiet time as well.
“It’s really important to teach our children that it’s OK to sit for a while with no noise or stimulation,” he explains.
“These days, they call it boredom, but that’s when you can be your most creative.”
Still Mum’s favourite Wiggle
When asked if Asher will follow his famous father into the entertainment industry, Simon doesn’t rule it out.
“But I’ll encourage him to do anything he wants, even if that’s following in my footsteps, which would be amazing. But if he wants to be a scientist, I’ll encourage that too!”
And while it must be awesome having a Wiggle for a dad, Simon reveals Asher’s allegiance lies elsewhere.
“I never was his favourite Wiggle – that was either Lucia [Field] or Tsehay [Hawkins],” the entertainer smiles.
“But now he’s sadly getting to that age where he’s outgrowing the Wiggles.”
Fortunately, there’s still one person in the family who likes the red skivvy best.
Simon laughs, “Yes, it’s safe to say that I’m still Lauren’s favourite Wiggle – as I should be!”
The Wiggles will hit Wellington on Monday, then it’s Christchurch on Wednesday and Thursday. Visit thewiggles.com.
