Misplaced Pages

Olympia Montana Valance (born 7 January 1993) is an Australian actress and model, whose roles include Paige Smith in the soap opera Neighbours (2014–2018, 2020, 2022) and Tahlia Woods in Playing for Keeps. For her role as Paige, Valance received a nomination for the Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent.

Early life

Olympia Valance was born in Melbourne, Victoria on 7 January 1993 to Rajko Vukadinović, a model and musician, and Tania Gogos. Valance's father is Serbian from Montenegro and her mother is Australian of Greek descent, the daughter of journalist Dimitri Gogos. Her step-father is Australian musician Ross Wilson. Valance has seven half-siblings; Her older half-sister Holly Valance, with whom she shares Vukadinović as a father, is also a singer and an actress. Valance attended Shelford Girls' Grammar School and studied at the Melbourne Actor's Lab.

Career

In March 2014, it was announced that Valance would make her acting debut in the long-running soap opera Neighbours as Paige Smith. Valance had been a successful model prior to her casting and won the role after going through a long audition process, which included four call-backs. Her half-sister Holly previously appeared in the show as Felicity "Flick" Scully from 1999 until 2002. Valance was initially contracted for three years and she made her screen debut as Paige on 2 June 2014. Valance's portrayal of Paige earned her nominations for Most Popular New Talent at the Logie Awards and Best Daytime Star at the Inside Soap Awards in 2015. She appeared in a documentary special celebrating the show's 30th anniversary titled Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite, which aired in Australia and the United Kingdom in March 2015.

In December 2014, Valance became the new face and body of UK lingerie brand Gossard. Of her role, she said "The last year has been a whirlwind and to work with such an established name as Gossard is a dream come true. I absolutely love working on Neighbours and the fact that I am able to come over to England and do an incredible campaign like this is a credit to the show's following, both here and down under." Valance has appeared in photo shoots for the brand's swimwear and lingerie collections, including their 2015 spring/summer campaign. In July 2015, she became an ambassador for the Australian chocolate bar Cherry Ripe.

In January 2016, Valance was the ambassador of the Jeep Marquee for the annual Jeep Portsea Polo event. That same month, she revealed that she signed with California-based agency Roar after they came looking for her. The agency also looks after fellow Australian actors Liam and Chris Hemsworth, who have both had successful careers in Hollywood. Valance has expressed an interest in moving on from Neighbours once her three-year contract ends. On 1 December 2017, it was announced that Valance had filmed her last scenes as Paige. Wilson confirmed that Valance would be moving to Los Angeles in January 2018 to pursue film and television roles during pilot season.

Valance joined the cast of Network Ten's sports drama Playing for Keeps in May 2018. She plays Tahlia, a socialite who is engaged to the captain of an Australian rules football team. In January 2019, Network Ten announced Valance would compete on the sixteenth season of Dancing with the Stars. Valance was paired with professional dancer Jarryd Byrne. On 18 March 2019, they became the fourth pair to be eliminated, despite receiving a high score from the judges for their jive. Valance then appeared in the crime drama Informer 3838.

In 2020, Valance reprised her role as Paige for Neighbours' 35th anniversary. Valance was announced as a judge for the 2020 season of Australia's Got Talent, however due to the COVID-19 pandemic she never fulfilled the role. On 4 May 2022, Valance confirmed to Zoe Thomaidou of Neos Kosmos that she would be returning to Neighbours for the serial's final episodes. The following year, Valance appeared in the British-Australian thriller series Heat as Sergeant Angelos. She also joined the cast of the Netflix teen drama Surviving Summer.

In May 2024, Valance took part in the second season of the Nine Network reality show The Summit.

Personal life

Valance announced in June 2019 that she was in a relationship with AFL footballer Tom Bellchambers. The couple announced their engagement in October 2020, and they married on 12 June 2022 in Daylesford. In July 2023, Valance revealed that she had miscarried twins during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that she and Bellchambers were undergoing IVF after struggling to conceive for two years. In August 2024, Valance announced that she was 25 weeks pregnant with her and Bellchambers' first child, and she gave birth to their son on 3 December 2024.

In August 2020, Valance reported that in 2019 she was a victim of a cyber crime. Her phone was hacked and personal images were distributed without her consent.

Valance is the co-owner of Splash Vodka.

A lover of horse racing, Valance part-owns a horse named Mr. Sneaky that competed in the Spring Racing Carnival. In 2020, Valance was announced as a Caulfield Cup Carnival ambassador and judge of the Social Style Stakes.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

1. "Strictly Come Dancing 2011 – Celebrities – Holly Valance". BBC Online. Archived from the original on 25 September 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
2. Epstein, Jackie (9 January 2023). "Inside Olympia Bellchambers' 'dirty 30' bush bash". Herald Sun. Retrieved 21 December 2024 – via Gale.
3. Skoufatoglou, Nelly (20 July 2019). "One-on-one with Olympia Valance". Neos Kosmos. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
4. ^ "From Paige to Page 3 girl: Neighbours' girl next door Olympia Valance strips down to lingerie". The Daily Telegraph. 20 February 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
5. ^ "Olympia Valance joins Neighbours". Tenplay.com.au. 11 March 2014. Archived from the original on 17 March 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
6. ^ Vickery, Colin (9 March 2014). "Holly Valance's half-sister Olympia Valance to make acting debut on Neighbours". news.com.au. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
7. "Holly Candy and Olympia Valance make great sister act at Neighbours' 30th anniversary party". Hello. 18 March 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
8. "Neos Kosmos supports education". Neos Kosmos. 4 September 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
9. Kilkelly, Daniel (12 May 2014). "Neighbours newcomer Olympia Valance on Paige role: 'I'm so lucky'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
10. Nutkins, Kirsty (5 July 2014). "Aussie actress Olympia Valance: 'Joining Neighbours was a dream come true'". The Daily Express. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
11. "Olympia Valance Shakes Up Ramsay Street". Tenplay.com.au. 27 May 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
12. ^ Willis, Charlotte (23 March 2015). "Logie Awards 2015: Nominees announced". news.com.au. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
13. ^ Dainty, Sophie (14 July 2015). "Inside Soap Awards 2015 longlist revealed: Who's in line for Best Actor, Actress and Newcomer?". Digital Spy. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
14. "Press release: The stars return to Neighbours". If Magazine. 2 March 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
15. Kilkelly, Daniel (4 March 2015). "Neighbours 30th anniversary schedule confirmed by Channel 5". Digital Spy. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
16. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (17 December 2014). "Neighbours star Olympia Valance is new face of lingerie brand Gossard". Digital Spy. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
17. "Neighbours' Olympia Valance on conquering her body battles: 'I've lost 20 kilos'". The FIX. 6 July 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
18. "Cosmo met Neighbours star Olympia Valance to test her knowledge of all things Aussie". Cosmopolitan. 2 July 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
19. ^ Croffey, Amy (12 January 2016). "Neighbours' Olympia Valance signed by Chris and Liam Hemsworth's Hollywood agents". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
20. ^ Dainty, Sophie (12 January 2016). "Neighbours star Olympia Valance signed by Hollywood agent: 'LA might be down the line'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
21. "Rocking into Ramsay Street". The Daily Telegraph. 1 December 2017. p. 75. It also marked Valance's last week of filming on Ramsay St. She is leaving the show to pursue overseas opportunities.
22. Te Koha, Nui (3 December 2017). "Olympia Valance jets off to Hollywood after leaving Neighbours". Herald Sun. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
23. Isrin, Kietley (25 May 2018). "Exclusive: Former Neighbours star Olympia Valance on exciting new role". TV Week. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
24. Ten, Network (29 January 2019). "Australia, Meet Your 2019 Stars | Dancing With The Stars TV Show". TenPlay. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
25. "Dancing With The Stars' Olympia Valance tells: "My body has never looked so good!"". TV Week. 25 February 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
26. "Exclusive: Dancing With The Stars' Olympia Valance spills on her shock elimination". TV Week. 19 March 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
27. Hockey, Maddison (2 September 2020). "Exclusive: Olympia Valance on the surprising reality of isolating with friends while separated from partner Tom Bellchambers". TV Week. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
28. Kilkelly, Daniel (17 February 2020). "Neighbours confirms sad return storyline for Paige Smith and Jack Callahan". Digital Spy. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
29. Doyle, Erin (14 June 2021). "Revealed: Shock Australia's Got Talent shake-up". New Idea. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
30. Thomaidou, Zoe (4 May 2022). "Olympia Valance to return as Paige Smith for Neighbours finale". Neos Kosmos. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
31. Knox, David (7 November 2022). "10 Heats up new drama co-production". TV Tonight. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
32. "Olympia Valance, Annabel Wolfe, Josh MacQueen hit the beach for 'Surviving Summer' S2". IF Magazine. 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
33. Knox, David (30 April 2024). "Returning: The Summit". TV Tonight. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
34. "'Life imitating art': Olympia Valance on playing a WAG and dating an AFL footballer in real life". The Sunday Times. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
35. Warner, Sam (1 October 2020). "Former Neighbours star Olympia Valance announces her engagement". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
36. Hockey, Maddison (13 June 2022). "Winter bride! Olympia Valance finally ties the knot with her husband, Thomas Bellchambers". TV Week. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
37. Kearney, Georgie (9 July 2023). "Former Neighbours star Olympia Valance shares heartbreak after 'excruciatingly painful' loss". 7 News. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
38. "Olympia Valance reveals delightful news after difficult personal journey". news.com.au. 17 August 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
39. Sarrubba, Stefania (5 December 2024). "Neighbours star Olympia Valance gives birth to baby son and shares sweet name". Digital Spy. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
40. "Valance 'traumatised' by theft of private images". BBC News. 20 August 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
41. "Making a splash in vodka drinks". Inside FMCG. 31 May 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
42. "Olympia Valance's Spring Racing Carnival launch". The Mercury. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
43. "Neighbours star Olympia Valance attends Caulfied Cup Day". Express Digest. 21 October 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
44. "How celebs are glamming up for the Caulfield Cup". Herald Sun. 17 October 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
45. Knox, David (1 April 2016). "All Star Family Feud: April 4". TV Tonight. Retrieved 9 May 2016.

External links

• Olympia Valance at IMDb
• Olympia Valance on Twitter

• 1993 births
• Living people
• Australian female models
• Australian soap opera actresses
• 21st-century Australian actresses
• Actresses from Melbourne
• Australian people of Greek descent
• Australian people of Serbian descent