At home with Talitha Cummins & Ben Lucas

Channel Seven star Talitha Cummins and her husband Ben Lucas live and breathe fitness. Which is little wonder really given Ben is the co-owner of Flow Athletic in Sydney’s Paddington. Away from their hectic work lives, this active couple loves nothing more doing a yoga class together or going for a run with their cute dog Wilbur in tow. It’s also clear they’re totally in love. When asked to describe her husband, Talitha lights up with pride. “Ben is driven, ambitious, inspirational, kind and an incredibly generous husband who would do anything for me,” she says. Ben is equally enamoured with his wife. “Talitha is my best friend, life partner and soul mate,” he says. How sweet is that?

After showing us their stunning home, we sat down to chat with Talitha and asked her to give us a snapshot into their healthy world.

Photography by Chris Lew from lewmedia.com | Art direction by Bianca Cheah

What role does health and fitness play in your lives?

Health and fitness is a central part of our lives. Ben and I love training together, we even have trained for a marathon together. Neither of feels right if we don’t exercise each day. We love walking the Bondi to Bronte together and taking Wilbur for a run in Centennial Park.

Talk us through a typical weekend in the Cummins/Lucas household.

I am up from 3:30am both days of a weekend to read the news on Weekend Sunrise. Ben also works on the weekend as director of Flow Athletic. I have to keep moving after work so I will either go for a run or take a spin class at Flow. Ben does weights six days so he will usually be lifting. We also like to yoga classes together and cook a nice healthy meal of a Sunday night when we have time.

What do you love most about your home?

We love that our apartment has beautiful light. It is breezy and has big French doors that open up to the balcony. We have a gorgeous French provincial chair that I spotted in the window of Macleay On Manning and knew had to be mine! Ben always buys me fresh flowers too. Sometimes we will have three vases going at the one time!

Who is the interiors lover out of the two of you? Or are beautiful interiors something you both enjoy?

We both love design. We have similar tastes based around modern minimalism. We have been building a list through our travels of what our dream place will be. It includes a vertical garden, an outdoor shower, a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf and a black and white photo wall

How important is it to create a sanctuary at home?

We both lead hectic lives so our home is incredibly important to us. It is definitely our sanctuary. At the end of a busy day there’s nothing better than relaxing on the lounge with Wilbur watching trashy TV.

“The terrarium was a gift from Ben’s niece Jerrica. We love her! There is also always a candle burning at home. Our favourite candles are by Mr Travis from Libertine Parfumerie.”

Experts have talked about the link between physical clutter and mental clutter. Do you agree? Does an ordered home create a sense of calm for you?

Yes! We hate clutter. Recently we came home one weekend and decided everything must go. Three days later a tip truck came and collected a garage full of items. Now we are starting again.

If we peeked inside your to fridge what would we find?

Meat!  And lots of it. We live on diet of meat and vegetables.

“Ben starts his days with by either teaching two spin classes at Flow Athletic or doing two hours ofhis own training. His breakfast normally consists of a BSC Naturals protein shake on coconut water with Good Green Stuff in it. I usually mix it up. It would either be a fruit salad or avocado on toast.”

Any health secrets that you both swear by?

Neither of us drink alcohol. We also both always try to get enough sleep and take time away to recharge our batteries.

Do you have a favourite inspirational quote?

“The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses – behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.” Muhammad Ali

“I’ve spent ten years of my career being dressed quite conservatively for news. So I like to keep it casual on weekends when I finish work. A typical look would be a tailored jacket with a singlet and shorts and I LOVE my Isabel Marant shoes. The Bobby sneakers are comfortable and so easy to wear and I love the Dicker boots too. I have a bit of a shoe fetish. I usually choose my shoes first then work out the rest of my outfit from there!”

“Wilbur the Spaniel is nearly a year old. We have had him since he was eight weeks. He runs the house and rules our lives. Nothing brings us more happiness than Wilbur. We are always taking him to new parks or for different walks.”