When Dancing with the Stars NZ judge Camilla Sacre-Dallerup first arrived in the city of Los Angeles with her husband Kevin Sacre, the pair only intended to stay for one month. Fast forward five years and they still haven’t left!
“It’s a wonderful place,” gushes the Danish beauty as she invites Woman’s Day inside her LA pad on her return from Aotearoa.
“I love being outdoors, I love hiking, the ocean and that there are great opportunities about in this city – you can make it whatever you want to make it.”
Watch: Camilla steps out of retirement to jive with Julz. Article continues below.
After quitting dance, it was in LA that Camilla, 45, was able to develop her passion for life coaching, hypnosis and writing, and turn it into a career.
“I felt like I had come home when I arrived in LA,” she explains. “Working with a coach, a therapist and doing meditation and hypnosis, all of that … people are welcoming it here in LA. Now we’re seeing that really overflow into the rest of the world.”
7am: Before beginning her own day, Camilla takes cute pup Charlie fer her morning walk.
Meditation is now an integral part of her morning routine and she dedicates anywhere between five and 20 minutes a day to practise mindfulness.
“It’s such a powerful tool. Many times a day, we ask other people, ‘Hey, how are you doing?’ But what we forget to say is, ‘Hey, how am I doing?’ We forget to check in with ourselves. But if you take just five minutes to be with yourself, you can alter your state of mind and bring so much more positivity to your day.”
7.30am: The former dance champion takes time to focus on herself by meditating for up to 20 minutes each morning.
Despite her love of meditation, it’s not the first thing that gets her up in the morning. When it comes to her daily routine, taking her spoilt pooch Charlie out for a walk is number one on the agenda.
“She looks so cute, but don’t be fooled – she’s a complete diva! Charlie has to be walked first,” laughs Camilla.
8am: Working hard at her coaching company, Zenme, which also offers hypnotherapy and meditation.
After the dog is walked, the former ballroom dancing champion will usually take time for meditation before heading to the office. She fills the rest of her morning with work, which could either be chatting with coaching clients, recording new episodes of her podcast or working on her upcoming book.
“I love connecting with people – it’s the best part of my job. Interestingly enough, that’s what I always loved about dancing too, connecting with people. That’s no different in my life today. That’s still what I love,” she explains.
11am: Recording for her podcast Me, My Relationships and I.
Yet although Camilla likes to work hard, she also enjoys playing hard and she proudly pulls out a pair of roller skates to show the Woman’s Day team.
“It all started last year. It was one of those moments when I was a bit overwhelmed with work, and my husband said we needed something fun and enjoyable to do that had nothing to do with work. So he went and bought me some roller skates!”
1pm: Lunch at the burger bar with friend Ian Waite, who is visiting from the UK. Ian and Camilla danced together for 12 years.
After one trip to the skating rink, Camilla was hooked and now it’s become a regular part of her routine – she will often pop them on at the end of the work day.
“In life, we’re always on some kind of deadline. We’re always so busy. I usually skate towards the end of the day after work and it’s a great way to unwind.”
5pm: Strapping on her skates – a gift from husband Kevin – Camilla loves getting outside for some fresh air and Californian sun.
Her life is well and truly set up in California, but the judge of the hit Three reality series admits if there is one other place she’d choose to live in the world, it would be back here!
“LA is a wonderful place, but I have to say when I’m in New Zealand I don’t really miss anything because we have everything we need here; it’s a fantastic place too. It’s similar to California with beautiful views, hikes, restaurants – it’s like a second home to me.”
