Who was Sonia McMahon? Julian McMahon's ex-wife Dannii Minogue reportedly had a rocky relationship with his mother while married to actor

Actor Julian McMahon’s ex-wife, Dannii Minogue, reportedly had a dysfunctional bond with her former mother-in-law, Sonia McMahon. The news went viral days after Julian’s death came to light.

The late actor was born to former Australian Prime Minister Sir William McMahon and Sonia, a philanthropist. Sonia McMahon was also involved in occupational therapy. However, she lost her life in 2010 after battling cancer.

Dannii Minogue and Julian McMahon tied the knot in 1994 and parted ways in 1995 after staying in marital bliss for 18 months. She reflected on her relationship with Sonia McMahon during a conversation with No Filter’s Mia Freedman in 2024. About her wedding, Dannii said:

“Oh my God, it was something that I just wanted to enjoy, but it was quite difficult because there was such a storm around it and there was the private storm of Julian's mom and I tried to navigate it as best I could as a 23-year-old.”

Dannii Minogue mentioned that Julian McMahon was not much older than her, and they struggled to handle the situation. Mia Freedman asked about what she wrote in her autobiography about her relationship with Sonia McMahon, to which Minogue replied that there was no relationship. She added:

“She wouldn't speak to me. I wasn't allowed to be near her in the house. She said she wasn't coming to the wedding. We paid for everything, set seats aside and said, ‘You decide up until the last minute. If you want to come, come. If you don’t want to come, don’t come.’”

Dannii Minogue looks back on how she supported Julian McMahon and why Sonia McMahon thought she wasn’t the right fit for her son

Mia Freedman asked why Sonia McMahon didn’t like her and why she acted so unkindly. Dannii Minogue said she felt it was because she didn’t come from the same background as Julian McMahon. She explained that she worked hard every day to earn money and paid for everything herself, even when Sonia didn’t support Julian.

Dannii said she knew she wasn’t born into a rich family and couldn’t change that, and she wasn’t going to try to alter Sonia McMahon’s opinion. She admitted it was upsetting, but since she didn’t know or love her, it wasn’t too difficult for her.

However, she believed it must have been tough for Julian McMahon. Speaking about supporting Julian, Dannii Minogue said:

“So, he was living in New York got a soap opera. He was earning money but I paid for everything.”

She went on:

“I was living in London. I was traveling every two weeks to New York to see him and I just not only ran out of money, I was in debt and then the marriage was off. So, you know, when someone is no longer supporting you but he could absolutely support himself by then. So, he was off to other things and it was what it was. So, that was a huge struggle emotionally, physically, mentally, financially in every part of my life.”

Dannii Minogue said that it was her decision to get married. She chose to help Julian McMahon in the beginning because she believed marriage was meant to last a long time. She thought she could support him until he became stable, and then they could take care of each other.

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Also Read: These 7 roles played by Julian McMahon will always live in the hearts of fans

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