Sherri on The Bachelor Has a Julia Gillard Connection

Sherri Mathieson, one of the girls “competing” for Tim Robards’ love and affection on The Bachelor, has managed to fly under the radar so far, especially when compared to girls like Ali and Laura. But viewers may watch her a little more keenly now that she’s been exposed as the daughter of Tim Mathieson, who is the partner of former Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Sherri, 29, is a makeup artist from the Gold Coast who had just returned from NYC when a friend told her about the show. In an interview with Fairfax, Sherri said, “I’d been back for two weeks, and I’d had no idea it was even going on. The timing was really right — coming home, I had no commitments to tie me down, and thought, ‘This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime funny experiences that you’ll be able to look back on.’”

As for how her father felt about her going on a TV show, Sherri said, “I chatted to him before I went on, and he was quite open-minded . . . He said go on, be yourself, have fun, that kind of thing. [He said] play it a bit cool, don’t go crazy,” advice she seems to have taken based on her portrayal on the show so far. Sherri also shared a bit of the Julia Gillard she knows, adding, “She is really lovely and she has that charisma and that warmth when you do meet her. She’s really funny as well, and I think people never got to see that.”

In her profile, Sherri describes her ideal man as “a strong, passionate, kind man. Someone I feel safe with who makes me feel like no other. Someone I can have fun with and who makes me laugh. We can grow, learn and love together.” Whether that man turns out to be Tim on The Bachelor, we’ll just have to wait and see.