Better Homes And Gardens Cast Chef

Johanna Griggs, AM

Johanna Griggs is thrilled to have hosted Australia's number one lifestyle show, Better Homes and Gardens, for the past 17 years. Who wouldn't want to be invited in for a personal tour of Australia's most-loved celebrities' homes?

"The biggest highlight for me is that everyone is so happy to have Better Homes and Gardens in their home. It's such a trusted brand so you always feel very welcome," she says.

Johanna joined Channel Seven after announcing her retirement from swimming in 1993. She is one of the network's most iconic faces being involved in an array of programs over the years, from Seven's Summer of Tennis, Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival, Seven Weekend News, Sydney Weekender, Auction Squad, House Calls To The Rescue, Australia's Amazing Homes, the Olympics (The Tokyo Olympics Games will be her 7th Olympics she has hosted for 7) Paralympics, and 7 years as host of House Rules before asking to step down from the show.

Before her successful television career, Johanna represented Australia in swimming, winning bronze at the Auckland Commonwealth Games in 1990, and silver at the 1991 World Championships.

Johanna splits her time between the Lower Hunter Valley - where she grows the majority of her families produce, & Sydney's northern beaches, where her builder husband Todd Huggins runs a successful construction company. Through it they have built and renovated dozens of homes.

When time permits, Johanna loves to host and feed her friends and family. "I find it so relaxing. I am happiest when I'm in the kitchen knowing that I'm preparing great food and entertaining people. I have learnt so much from Fast Ed and Karen Martini over the years that inspire so many of my dishes."

In 2009, Johanna received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters - Honoris Causa - from Macquarie University in NSW for services to swimming, media and charity fundraising.

In 2020, Johanna was awarded an AM in the Australia Day honours for her Significant Services Community Health, to Television and to Sport. She has been a Board Member for Beyond Blue since 2014 and works closely with the Humpty Dumpty Foundation and the McGrath Foundation.

She is a proud mother of two young men Jesse and Joe, and a besotted grandmother to Joe's son Jax.

Better Homes and Gardens entered the record books in 2014, as Johanna accepted the 12th Silver Logie award (Australia's Most Popular Lifestyle Program) on behalf of the show.

Dr. Harry Cooper

Born and raised in Sydney, Dr Harry Cooper graduated with second class honours from Sydney University's Faculty of Veterinary Science in December 1965 aged 21. He practised for several years across Sydney and the UK before his burgeoning media career became a full-time commitment.

Dr Harry's love of animals began at a young age. His father had started out in veterinary science (when it was an apprenticeship, not a degree) but withdrew after 12 months. A young Harry and his brother, Neil followed in their father's footsteps and both went on to become veterinary scientists. "It was really our father's unfulfilled dream. "I knew I wanted to be a vet from when I was 12 or 14." Harry grew up surrounded by animals and watching his parents breed and show a variety of animals. With the assistance of his father, he began showing budgerigars and poultry, which sparked his interest in animals.

Dr Harry began his media career on breakfast television as the veterinary expert on a local Sydney chat show. He also had a spot on Don Burke's radio program, and joined Burke on his long-running TV series for the Nine Network, Burke's Backyard.

Dr Harry moved to Channel Seven in 1993 to helm his first series, Talk To The Animals. In 1997, Dr Harry returned to his veterinary rooms to film the new series Harry's Practice which ran for six years.

Dr Harry joined the team of Better Homes and Gardens in 2004 and has been providing pet information and advice to viewers ever since. In late 2007, Dr Harry was diagnosed with prostate cancer and he underwent intensive radiation treatment throughout 2008 to treat the disease. Dr Harry's "annus horribilis" also saw him suffer through a hernia operation and a hip replacement – all within the space of a few months.

After these major health battles, Dr Harry realised it was time to make some big life changes. So after 21 years at home in Tasmania, he moved to the mid-north coast of NSW in 2011 where he scaled down the size of the property he is responsible for. It's also much easier for him to transport his livestock, primarily fowl and Welsh Mountain Ponies (his pride and joy), to shows and sales. And he doesn't mind the warmer weather up there either!

Then in August of 2019, Dr Harry up and moved everything again to a larger property in NSW to accommodate his horses and let us tell you, the move was no mean feat.

Dr Harry was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) honour for his services to veterinary science and animal welfare as part of the Queen's Birthday 2014 honours.

In 2014, Better Homes and Gardens was awarded a record 12th Silver Logie for Australia's Most Popular Lifestyle Program.

In addition to his television work, Dr Harry has authored four books, Dr Harry Cooper's Pet Care Guide in 1991, Anecdotes and Antidotes in 2000, Remedies and Memories in 2001 and Stethoscopes and Calving Ropes in 2002. He is also an ongoing financial contributor to the Faculty of Veterinary Science at Charles Sturt University. His work has been recognised previously with a Centenary Medal in 2001, a Service Award from the Australian Veterinarian Association in 2006 and an Alumni Award from the Veterinary Faculty at the University of Sydney.

Dr Harry is an advocate for children growing up with animals and said it is a scientific fact that children who grow up with animals have higher self -confidence, can mix with people well and are far higher achievers. "It is also a known fact that patting a dog can help reduce your blood pressure by 10 per cent. "I can't understand people not wanting a pet."

Adam Dovile

You still can't wipe the smile from the affable chippie who won season 2 of House Rules with his wife Lisa in 2014. They then got married in May 2015, and moved from Melbourne to Sydney to join the Better Homes and Gardens team as their resident builder, it's fair to say that Adam's grin isn't going anywhere anytime soon. He then moved back to Melbourne and had a daughter in May 2016, Arabella, who was born on the same day he won the fan-voted Logie award for Best New Talent. Lisa gave birth to their second daughter, Ruby in 2017.

Adam has continued to run building projects via his business ASD Constructions, as this is his passion. Growing up in Melbourne with a hard-working Italian family, Adam spent his younger years working in his parents' pizza shop. Spending all his savings on his pride and joy – his beloved ED Ford – would soon be the wake-up call he needed. At 18, Adam was involved in a road accident that destroyed his car. "I'd been saving since I was 13 to buy my dream car and I was very lucky to walk away from the crash with no one injured except for my finances," explains Adam.

From that moment he resolved to complete a carpentry apprenticeship, continue working in the family pizza shop and become a delivery boy for a florist on the weekends. All these savings would be put towards a wiser investment – his first house.

Adam credits his carpentry career to an unlikely mentor. In high school he loved working with his hands and enjoyed doing work experience with a mechanic. It was the mechanic's advice that changed Adam's career path. "He said to me, 'Is there anything you love just as much as mechanics?' I responded: 'Carpentry.' He suggested I am better off following that career as the mechanics business is changing," Adam recalls.

With so much good fortune coming their way, Adam and Lisa decided to give back and joined the charity Habitat for Humanity. Under the charity's guidance, they travelled to Nepal last year to assist in building houses for up to 40 families living in a slum community. "This project in Nepal empowered struggling families, via a tiny interest free loan, to own their homes. It instils pride and relief for families who get a roof over their heads that they own."

Adam is a Collingwood football tragic and thanks to Lisa he has discovered the joys of being a dog owner to their cavoodle, Buckley. "I never thought I'd own a dog but the little bugger has won my heart." Adam and Lisa sold their House Rules home because they needed more space for the girls. They purchased another renovation project which they are still doing up to this day. When not entertaining fans on the screen, or immersing himself in building projects, you can find Adam spending time with his family, and taking his girls for bike rides and plays at the park.

'Fast' Ed Halmagyi

'Fast' Ed Halmagyi is one of Australia's best-loved TV chefs and food authors. For over a decade, Ed has appeared on television and radio, in newspapers, magazines and books.

Ed made the decision to leave law school to pursue a career in cooking and never looked back. He now has more than 20 years' experience cooking in some of the world's best restaurants, both in Australia and overseas.

By chance, Ed made his TV debut on Sydney Weekender and impressed producers so much they recommended he audition for Better Homes and Gardens. On the show, Ed is known for transforming elegant restaurant cuisine into recipes that anyone can prepare at home.

Ed has authored a number of cookbooks and also operates a catering company. He does significant charity work with Bear Cottage. And he's also a faithful Sydney Swans supporter.

Karen Martini

Melbourne chef, restaurateur and food writer Karen Martini has been cooking professionally for more than 20 years. She trained at top restaurant Tansy's in the early 1990s and has headed restaurant kitchens including the iconic Melbourne Wine Room, white-hot Icebergs Dining Room in Sydney and her current artisan pizza restaurant Mr Wolf (which she runs with husband Michael Sapountsis) whilst winning countless chefs hats and other plaudits along the way.

Karen credits her mother and grandmother for inspiring her to follow a career in cooking. "Mum prided herself on making everything from scratch while my grandmother introduced me to spices and exotic ingredients that allowed me to experiment new ideas."

Her kitchen career has been balanced by media commitments, cookbooks, charity dinners and much-loved recipe columns. She is a presenter on Channel Seven's Better Homes and Gardens and a judge on the network's top rating competition program, My Kitchen Rules.

Karen and Michael's first child, Stella, was born in 2006, and Amber followed in 2008. Since becoming a mother, Karen's love of relaxed cooking with fresh, healthy, seasonal produce has intensified.

There's no surprise that the kitchen is Karen's favourite room in her house. "It's the hub not only generating food – it's also generates conversation. Food is able to bring the family together and sit around a table allowing us to talk."

When Karen's cooking, whatever the cuisine, the motivation and the reward are the same. "It's a giving process, whether it's at home or in a restaurant," she says. "You're nurturing people, you're enabling conviviality and, for both cook and eater, I always aim to make mealtimes enjoyable and relaxed."

A passionate ambassador for Ovarian Cancer Research, Karen aims to build the awareness of the silent killer that is often misdiagnosed.

Away from work, Karen finds relaxation watching crime shows and flower arranging.

In 2014, Better Homes and Gardens was awarded a record 12th Silver Logie for Australia's Most Popular Lifestyle Program.

Graham Ross

Radio broadcaster and television gardening presenter, Graham Ross, has educated, entertained and inspired Australia's gardening community and aspiring green thumbs during a career that has spanned more than 50 years.

He is only the fourth Australian to receive the prestigious Gold Veitch Memorial Medal from the Royal Horticultural Society in London since Queen Victoria created the award in 1870. It was presented to Graham in 2011 by HRH Princess Alexandra on behalf of HM Queen Elizabeth II. He received the medal for his lifelong "contribution to the advancement of the art, science and practice of horticulture".

In 2013 he was granted an Honorary Fellowship of London's Royal Botanic Gardens Kew Guild, the first person in the Southern Hemisphere to ever be so recognised.

Graham has appeared on Seven's Better Homes and Gardens since 1995, presenting over 700 episodes, with the show winning 10 Logies in that time. He is one of the few personalities that has featured on television every week since 1978.

He has broadcast the three hour Garden Clinic show every Saturday and Sunday on Sydney's 2GB since 1980 (now simulcast across Australia). It is one of the longest running programs on Australian radio.

Broadcasting commitments aside, Graham and his wife Sandra share an exhaustive schedule that incorporates 25 garden tours a year in Australia and overseas through their Ross Garden Tours company, www.rosstours.com, with over 500 tours to its credit; and running the family business, 'The Garden Clinic'.

The couple's children, Linda and Kent, have inherited their parents' love for horticulture and both work closely with Graham and Sandra in all these projects. Kent has just returned from eight years in London setting up their UK office and he managers both the UK and the Sydney office.

The family's Garden Clinic Club, launched in 1982, is Australia's largest garden club that publish a quarterly, full colour magazine for members. The website www.gardenclinic.com attracts over 40,000 hits every week.

Graham has co-authored, with his family, four major garden publications including 'The Weekend Gardener', 'Our World of Gardening', 'Gardens of the World', and 'From the Ground Up' in 2011.

When you ask Graham what he does for relaxation there's no guessing as to his answer. "When I'm at home, there's nothing more relaxing than pottering around in our large garden. On the weekends we're often out working in the garden until dark. Gardening is such a passion for me and I'm very lucky to be able to share it with my family and, at work, with fellow Australians and friends around the world."

Graham began his career when he started working part-time at his local nursery when aged 11. He went on to graduate from the Ryde School of Horticulture TAFE with qualifications in Horticulture, Park Administration, Greenkeeping, Landscaping and Agronomy.

He worked as a seedsman, arborist, landscaper, nurseryman and park superintendent for 20 years before returning to Ryde TAFE in 1970 to teach horticulture. After attaining a Diploma of Education at Sydney Teachers' College he was soon promoted to Senior Head Teacher of Horticulture then NSW Head of the Division of Ryde, a position he held until 1980.

In 1978 Graham had moved into the media. He began producing and presenting gardening programs for ABC TV. While he has worked on all networks since then, he has spent over 27 years in television with Seven, initially as a horticultural journalist for Seven National News, Newsnight and 11AM.

He was Garden Editor for the Sun newspaper and later the Telegraph Mirror.

Graham has been involved with several professional and industry associations including Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens Trust, the Nursery & Garden Industry, and the Horticultural Media Association. He and Sandra are patrons of the NSW Rose Society.

In 2014, Better Homes and Gardens was awarded a record 12th Silver Logie for Australia's Most Popular Lifestyle Program.

Pete Colquhoun

Pete has extensive TV credits across a range of television genres, from lifestyle, reality and sport including commentary for Seven's Olympic Games broadcast. For the last 14 years he has been the resident architect on Australia's number one lifestyle show Better Homes and Gardens.

In recent years Pete was awarded a national architectural prize for his work on the re-design and build of the North Bondi Surf Club.

This year he published a book on Australia's best beach houses titled 'Sandcastles', based on the highly successful TV series of the same name which Peter hosted and created. This series continues to broadcast around the world.

Pete's other great passions include surfing, music and acting. He continues to play with his pub band up and down the east coast of Australia while appearing in local TV dramas and movie productions. While bouncing between commitments he still manages to get a surf in most days.

Charlie Albone

Award-winning landscape design expert Charlie Albone joined the team of presenters in 2020.

"It's a real honour to be asked to be part of such an amazing team," says Charlie. "I will be sharing lots of new and interesting ideas for your garden that will inspire and push boundaries, as well as advice on how to make your outdoor living the best it can be."

Charlie has worked internationally and in Australia for the past 17 years, designing and building gardens that are timeless, inspiring and enjoyable to spend time in. In 2015 and 2016, he was awarded two Silver gilt medals for his own gardens at the world's most prestigious flower show The Chelsea Flower Show.

Following this, Charlie was awarded various AILDM and LNA awards for his work including 'Best Design and Construction of the Year' in 2018. Charlie is one of only seven international designers who were selected to design a garden for the Beijing horticultural expo running from April until November in 2019.

James Tobin

James Tobin (as seen onWeekend Sunrise) will sort through the gigabytes of information out there to present the latest in Tech and Motoring.

"I'll be playing with all the big kid toys and reporting back on how they can improve our lives at home and on the road," says James.

Melissa King

Respected garden expert, author and television presenter Melissa King joins Better Homes and Gardens in 2020.

"I will be tackling lots of fun and inspirational gardening projects - everything from edible garden projects to indoor plant styling – and I also want to encourage kids to get off the couch and into the garden with some great kid-friendly gardening ideas," says Melissa. "For a gardening presenter, this is the pinnacle and I'm beyond excited to be working alongside people I have admired for years."

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Sam Wood

Health and fitness expert and former Bachelor, Sam Wood, will arm Better Homes and Gardens viewers with all the best information and advice for adopting a healthier lifestyle.

"For me, it's about helping people move more and eat better with simple, practical and real advice that they can understand and implement into their lives," says Sam.