WOMEN'S HEALTH COVER JAN 18
Elyse Knowles Shares Her Day On A Plate
And why her sweat sessions aren't just about aesthetics. - by Alex Davies
Model, renovator, action woman, introvert. Meet Elyse Knowles – our new girl crush.
At our beachside photoshoot in Sydney, our photographer is snapping Elyse Knowles The Model – a side of the 25-year-old pro that’s landed her major campaigns for brands including Bras N Things, Billabong and EMU Australia, not to mention an epic new gig as the face of iconic Aussie brand Seafolly. Another side to Knowles? The self-described tomboy, who loves skateboarding, motorbiking, camping, wakeboarding, skiiing, snowboarding, surfing... everything active, really.
“I just like to give anything a crack,” she tells us. “I’ve always had this saying that if a boy can do it, I can do it, too.”
This may not surprise fans of The Block who watched Knowles get stuck into a reno and be crowned the show’s record-breaking winner with her partner, carpenter Josh Barker. The nation was smitten with her warmth, hard graft, grit and positivity, not to mention that infectious laugh (“people want it on a ringtone!”). It’s safe to say 2017 was the year Australia fell in love with Elyse Knowles. And, as we chat about future ambitions, resilience and the power of sweating like a pig, it’s really not hard to see why.
2017 WAS HUGE FOR YOU! HOW DO YOU LOOK BACK ON IT?
I never thought any of this could happen to me, but I’m super appreciative! I came out of the TV show alive [laughs] and with a smile on my face. It was something completely different and pushed me in different ways, but it was good because I found new hobbies and talents. And then I travelled to Timor-Leste [in South-East Asia] for WaterAid [she’s an ambassador]. Going there really grounded me again and made me appreciate every single thing we have in Australia. We turn the tap on every morning and don’t even think twice about it. People [there] have none of that. They’re getting sick because they have no sanitation. It’s sad ... but then [we] get to come back to Australia and express what’s happening so others can help, too.