Erica Packer Biography

Erica Packer began her early career as a model but later shifted focus to music. While she has been singing since the early 2000s, her career took a sharp turn after she signed a multi-album recording deal with SonyBMG Music Australia in 2006. It allowed her to work with Audius Mtawairia, an ARIA Award-Winning Australian Music Producer who produced most of the albums in Sydney, New South Wales. While she herself wrote eight songs for her debut album, her first released single 'I Spy' was penned by famous English-New Zealand singer and songwriter Natasha Bedingfield. The track, released on October 14, 2006, reached No.12 on the 'Australasian Singles Chart' and made into the Compilation CD 'So Fresh: The Hits of Summer 2007'. Her debut studio album, 'Through My Eyes', received favorable reviews upon its release on April 28, 2007 and peaked at No.18 on the 'Australian Hitseekers Chart'.

Erica Packer was born as Erica Georgia Baxter on November 10, 1977, in Gunnedah, a rural town in north-eastern New South Wales, Australia, to Michael and Sheelah Baxter. She has two siblings named Joanna Hunter and William Baxter. She completed her education from the Abbotsleigh Private Girls School in Wahroonga.

Erica Packer has been involved in several high profile relationships throughout her life. Her first publicly known romantic involvement was with actor, Jason Donovan, whom she began dating in 1995. After splitting from Donovan, she dated British record producer, Nellee Hooper, in 2000. In 2003, she began an on-and-off relationship with Australian businessman and investor, James Packer, the son of media mogul Kerry Packer. The couple finally tied the knot on June 20, 2007 at a star-studded event at the Hotel de Ville on the French Riviera, which reportedly cost $15 million. Packer had begun attending the Church of Scientology in Australia after his first marriage to Jodhi Meares ended within two years. His good friend, actor and scientologist Tom Cruise, was among the chief guests at his second marriage. Erica gave birth to their first child, a daughter named Indigo Alice, on July 27, 2008. Their second child, son Jackson Lloyd, was born on February 2nd, 2010, and their second daughter Emmanuelle Sheelah was born on September 22, 2012.

In early September 2013, after six years of marriage, the couple announced their separation, just months after moving into their $50 million mansion at Vaucluse, Sidney. James, who was Australia's third richest person at the time, paid a generous $100 million to support Erica and their children, but kept the mansion and his Bondi Beach Bachelor Pad for himself. After the divorce was finalized, Erica, who had gained full custody of their children, moved to Los Angeles, California where she had rented a house. Following the divorce, James began dating American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, to whom he got engaged later.

In August 2015, Erica made public her relationship with good friend Seal, whom she was quietly seeing for the past few months. Soon after, she had dinner with Seal, his ex-partner and German model Heidi Klum, and their four children, which had striking resemblance to James having dinner with Carey and his ex-wife Jodhi Meares months ago. Unfortunately, in late 2016, just a few weeks after James' 18-month affair with Carey ended, it was reported that Erica and Seal had split after being together for 18 months. However, they were subsequently seen kissing in Aspen, but the apparent reconciliation eventually failed as new reports emerged in April 2017 confirming their separation due to his affection for former flame Delta Goodrem. In recent times, she celebrated her 40th birthday at her ex-husband’s mansion in West Buttermilk Estate in Aspen and also reunited with him for Christmas in 2017.