Casey Donovan, an Australian singer, says that her personal life is about to enter its most important chapter yet after ten years of live shows, TV roles, and constant travel. The former Australian Idol winner is planning a future with her fiancée Renee Sharples after a romantic proposal on the winter solstice and several IVF appointments between concerts.
Donovan is juggling family planning, medical priorities, and national touring in a year full of promises, problems, and excitement.
How Casey Donovan and Renee Sharples Met-From Bumble to a Real Relationship
Donovan and Renee Sharples, who is a paramedicine lecturer, met for the first time during the Covid lockdowns after matching on Bumble in 2020. She was careful about online dating because she had a hard time trusting people after being publicly catfished for six years.
But they connected right away.
Donovan said, “It was so sweet when I logged into our first Zoom date and saw that Renee had set it up in a café.” “We couldn’t stop smiling.”
Video dates turned into long talks about music, jokes, personal goals, and dreams for the future. The couple soon started posting pictures of themselves in matching pyjamas, trying to cook at home, wearing face masks, performing at festivals together, and going on family vacations.
Donovan said online:
“You have opened my eyes, heart, and soul to what love should feel like.”
Winter Solstice Proposal-A Strawberry Moon Surprise
On 21 June 2024, Donovan shared that Renee proposed under the strawberry moon of the winter solstice. The following day she posted the news across Facebook and Instagram.
“21.06.24 on the strawberry moon of the winter solstice the love of my life asked me if I wanted to do this life together forever.”
Casey then added part of Renee’s proposal speech:
“Home was no longer a place, it became a person… there’s nobody else I would rather attach my wagon to.”
Mondial made the engagement ring. By Nadia, there were also candid photos of people laughing, hugging, and looking directly into the camera with joy.
Celebrity friends like Ricki-Lee Coulter, Paulini, and Angela Bishop all publicly congratulated the post, which helped it go viral.
Casey Donovan’s Partner Timeline-From Catfishing Trauma to Trust and Stability
Donovan went through a very traumatic event ten years ago that changed the way she thinks about relationships. She said in 2014 that she had been catfished for six years by a woman who pretended to be a man named “Campbell.” It turned out that the person was a supposed friend named “Olga.”
“It’s always nerve-wracking because I have a catfish background and it’s hard for me to trust people,” Donovan said.
It took time and patience to find love after that.
Donovan says that meeting Renee was “healing” and that her partner gave her space to rebuild her confidence in dating and real intimacy without being afraid.
The change was huge: happy anniversary posts, shared music performances, matching clothes, and heartfelt captions took the place of years of secrecy and confusion.
The Relationship Behind the Scenes
Fans often see Casey on red carpets and in theatres, but her relationship with partner Renee Sharples has mostly grown away from the public eye.
- Some of the small things that were shared are:
- Dinner at home after the shows
- Late-night studio work
- Nights on the couch with face masks
- Walks on the beach and drives on the weekend
Donovan has said this about Renee:
“Supportive, understanding, funny, and passionate.”
These real-life events have made their relationship seem more real, grounded, and intimate, not just because of what they post on social media.
IVF and Baby Plans-“28 Eggs on Thursday… On Stage Friday”
In 2025, Donovan said that she and her partner, Renee Sharples, were going through IVF treatment after being engaged for more than a year and talking about having a baby.
Renee, who is over 40, was the first to be retrieved. After that, Casey started doing cycles one after the other.
She told news.com.au, “I’ve done IVF egg retrievals one after the other.”
She got 26 eggs from her first collection. The second one got 28 eggs back.
Donovan has polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which makes her more likely to get Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome. In just one week after her first procedure, she gained six kilogrammes of fluid.
One IVF appointment clashed with a concert:
“The nurse said, “You might not be able to do the job.” I told them, “That’s not an option for me.”
The next night, she went on stage at the Sydney Opera House anyway, saying she was “sore but determined.”
Donovan is still positive and thinks that becoming a parent will happen when the time is right.
“People laugh when they’re pregnant all the time.” It’s just a lovely balancing act.
Medical Costs, Travel and Planning IVF Around Shows
Donovan has talked about how stressful and complicated IVF can be:
- Travel between clinics in Melbourne and venues in Sydney
- Planning shots around flight times
- Taking care of the risk of swelling during rehearsals
- Dealing with paperwork, prescriptions, and monitoring
Many performers face this reality in silence. Donovan is one of the few people who has talked about planning IVF in public, which has helped other people who are trying to balance their careers with fertility treatment.
Health Motivation-Getting Ready for Life After Music
Before IVF, Donovan took part in the Juniper medical weight-loss program, which used GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro.
“I want to be fit and healthy when I’m 40.”
Donovan says that the medicine changed how she felt about food:
“That noise is gone now.”
Experts say that long-term data is not very useful. Dr. Nicole Higgins, president of the RACGP, says, “We really don’t know” what the full effects are yet.
Donovan is still focused on having a safe pregnancy and staying healthy for a long time.
Weight-Loss Motivation and Medical Decisions Before Pregnancy
Donovan went to the doctor to talk about long-term health and how to manage his diabetes risk before starting IVF. She chose to lose weight with the Juniper program, which included GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro.
“I need to take steps to stay healthy and fit at 40.”
She said that her relationship with food changed:
“There’s no more noise about what I can eat and when.”
Dr. Nicole Higgins, president of the RACGP, said that the long-term effects of GLP-1 drugs are still unknown, but that the programs can work very well for some patients.
Donovan stays on track and has talked about her progress in interviews, saying that her health choices are related to her goal of becoming a parent.
National Tour and Baby Plans-Stage Lights and Family Nights
Donovan is getting ready for her biggest national tour yet, even as she makes medical appointments.
Her This Is Me tour will last nine months, from February to November 2026, and will include more than 50 shows in clubs, theatres, festivals, and entertainment centres across the country.
“Life before musicals has started again, and I remembered how busy it gets.”
She has worked on stage in the following roles:
- Chicago
- Sister Act
- & Juliet
- We Will Rock You
- Kimberley Akimbo
Max Rushden, the host of the show, suggested a roller-skate wedding on live TV as a way to honour Kimberley Akimbo’s style. Donovan said:
“I mean, it’s a moment.”
Donovan says she is “taking on all the risk” as an independent artist, but she thinks it’s worth it.
“It heals and makes me happy.”
Wedding Ideas and the Future With Partner Renee Sharples
The couple has talked about everything from a small wedding to a big party. Donovan joked on the air that she hadn’t told Renee she was thinking about running away and getting married before having a big party later.
Donovan has said that she is excited to start a family with her partner:
“I’m looking forward to next year, especially the tour and the chance to see Donovan running around on two legs.”
Outlook-A Life Built on Trust, Music, and Medicine
Casey Donovan and partner Renee Sharples’s love story goes through medical forms, music rehearsals, social media updates, and emotional healing. There are strawberry moon proposals, IVF injections in the back, and music contracts signed between doctor visits.
Donovan knows what his next goals are:
- A family that is stable
- A timeline for a healthy pregnancy
- A tour of the country
- A wedding that feels real and personal
Their story is still going on and hasn’t ended yet. It unfolds one stage performance, clinic visit, and late-night planning session at a time.
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