A hit national TV show is not the only reason Natalie Bassingthwaighte is smiling.
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She is also happy about being close to her family and the city that nurtured the humble beginnings of her stellar career.
Natalie said she was really enjoying doing So You Think You Can Dance in Sydney because it meant she was able to spend the next three to four months close to her family.
"It is just going to be so much easier," she said.
"I will have a schedule but I will have time off but I won't tell you what happens (on the show)."
Natalie said So You Think You Can Dance was great to be involved with and she also looked forward to making some more regular visits to Wollongong.
"It is like a holiday every time I come here," she said.
Growing up in Mt Warrigal was also where her interest in performing arts began.
She recalled being involved in just about every form of theatre.
It was obvious she was excited about her recent success but she quickly pointed out that she wouldn't be where she was today without all the support her parents and sisters provided in her early career.
She can recall times when she was broke and unable to pay the rent.
"Their support was important because they believed in me to keep going," she said.
And they did it without her having to even ask for help.
"There were times when I would go 'oh I think I would prefer to work in a cafe'. It was never-ending support ... and them just being there.
"I mean my dad (Michael Bassingthwaighte), because he can, I guess because he travels everywhere, he comes to everything I do, anywhere and everywhere.
"He probably has the biggest collection of my career ever from newspapers and magazines to DVDs and videos and everything. Probably since I was about 10 he has got everything.
"It is really nice. He is so proud, and that feels really important. It is really important to know your parents are so proud of you."
Natalie believes the main reason she has managed to achieve so many things in the entertainment industry is because her family allowed her to try everything she wanted to as a child.
"I didn't do singing lessons but when I was young, like about seven, I did Brownies and physical culture and gymnastics and ballroom dancing.
"I was always performing and I did athletics for a while and a bit of hockey but I gave that up and just continued with the performing arts."
