The woman behind Daryl Somers’ five-decade career: The quiet role Julie da Costa has played all along
For more than five decades, Daryl Somers has been one of the most recognisable faces in Australian television.
From Hey Hey It’s Saturday to Family Feud and Dancing With The Stars, his career has unfolded in front of millions of Australians. Yet away from the cameras, Somers has always drawn a firm line around his personal life.
And standing quietly on the other side of that line has been his wife, Julie da Costa.
A life largely kept away from the spotlight
Somers has never been known for turning his private life into public entertainment.
In a rare interview with The Age in 2004, he even warned that people would not hear much from him in the media after the interview.
That promise has largely held true.
While Australians have watched Somers build one of the longest careers in television, relatively little has been publicly revealed about the life he shares with Julie.
Former Hey Hey It’s Saturday colleague Red Symons once described Somers as someone who “inhabits a private universe” — an observation that perhaps explains why so much of the broadcaster’s family life has remained outside the headlines.
Julie had her own career long before she became “Daryl Somers’ wife”
Julie da Costa was not simply someone who appeared beside a television personality.
She was a former senior artist with the Australian Ballet, giving her own career in the performing arts long before the couple occasionally appeared together publicly.
Their shared connection to performance even found its way onto the stage.
In 2002 and 2003, Somers and da Costa appeared together in productions of The Nutcracker by the Australian Ballet School at Melbourne’s Myer Music Bowl, playing Clara’s parents.
It was an unusual glimpse of the couple outside the television world most Australians associated with Somers.
Their relationship has rarely been played out in public
There are few dramatic revelations attached to Somers and da Costa’s relationship — and that may be precisely what makes it interesting.
The couple have reportedly raised three children, including two adopted daughters and a biological son, but Somers has generally chosen to keep his family away from the constant attention that has accompanied his television career.
For a man who spent decades entertaining the public, that separation appears to have been deliberate.
His career was public.
His family did not have to be.
The moment Daryl finally spoke about Julie
One of the clearest public acknowledgements of Julie’s importance came in 2024, when Somers was named Victorian of the Year.
Accepting the honour at Melbourne Town Hall, the veteran entertainer spoke about the highs and lows of his career — and took the opportunity to publicly thank his wife.
“I relish the opportunity to publicly thank Julie for supporting me throughout my career,” Somers said.
It was a simple acknowledgement, but coming from someone who has spent much of his life protecting his private world, it carried considerable weight.
The timing also gave the moment a deeper emotional edge.
Somers had just lost his longtime friend and Hey Hey It’s Saturday colleague John Blackman, whom he had known for more than 50 years. He dedicated part of the honour to Blackman, describing their friendship as deeply enduring.
In the middle of reflecting on a career filled with public memories, Somers also chose to recognise the person who had been beside him away from the stage.
A career that never seemed to slow down
Somers’ professional life has stretched far beyond one television program.
He became a household name through Hey Hey It’s Saturday, which ran for almost three decades and became one of the defining Australian variety shows of its era.
He later hosted Family Feud and Dancing With The Stars, among other television projects, and has received three Gold Logies.
His contribution to entertainment and charitable work was recognised with an Order of Australia honour, while his broader community work has included support for organisations working with children, young people and disadvantaged communities.
Yet even as his professional profile grew, his approach to family remained remarkably consistent.
Even now, Julie remains largely out of view
That contrast is perhaps the most revealing part of their story.
Somers has spent much of his adult life surrounded by cameras, audiences and celebrity guests. He has interviewed performers, introduced comedians and become part of the memories of generations of Australian viewers.
Julie, meanwhile, has remained largely outside that world.
There have been occasional public appearances, including their Nutcracker performances, but she has never become a constant presence in the entertainment headlines.
And when Somers has spoken about her, it has generally been to acknowledge her support rather than to expose details of their private life.
After all these years, the story is less about fame than partnership
At 72, when he was named Victorian of the Year, Somers said he was still a “performer at heart” and even revealed that he was seriously considering taking digitised Hey Hey archives on tour.
More than 20 years of the show’s material had been digitised, he said, with plenty of stories still waiting to be told.
It was another reminder that Somers still has a deep connection to the world that made him famous.
But perhaps the quieter story is the one that has existed alongside all of it.
For decades, Australians have known Daryl Somers as the man in front of the cameras.
Much less has been seen of the woman who has shared the life behind them.
Julie da Costa has never needed to compete for the spotlight. And in an industry where public attention can be fleeting, her quiet presence may be one of the most enduring parts of Somers’ extraordinary career.