Jessica Johnson talks about life as a mum, businesswoman, sportswoman and the wife of an Ashes star Jessica Johnson is a star in her own right. JESSICA Johnson refuses to be stereotyped. Unlike the partners of some high-profile sportsmen, the wife of Australia's star fast bowler Mitchell Johnson doesn't covet the spotlight and she hates being referred to by that word. "People think, 'WAG, Oh you do nothing'," Jessica says. I don't like the negative connotations that go with it. So much does she dislike the term, that the only request Jessica made to talk to Weekend in the lead-up to Thursday's Boxing Day Test was that we not refer to her as a cricket WAG. "There are a lot of hardworking girls who do their own thing, the stereotype is the hard thing to shake," she explains. That's a title that someone else gives you. It's also a title Jessica doesn't need. She's an accomplished sportswoman in her own right, having taken out bronze in the 2006 Karate World Championships. The down-to-earth 31-year-old also runs her own accessories business, Jessica Bratich (her maiden name), and is mother to one-year-old daughter Rubika. Jessica owns her own accessories business - Jessica Bratich. While she usually prefers to shun the spotlight - though she did pose for the cover of Ralph in 2009 - she also acknowledges that for certain worthwhile causes, such as the McGrath Foundation, the spotlight has its purpose. She will join several other prominent Cricket Australia partners at a special Boxing Day Test afternoon tea, High Tea at the 'G, on Friday in support of the McGrath Foundation, which helps place breast care nurses in communities across the country to support women with breast cancer. "It's really important because breast cancer affects so many people," Jessica says. To have that awareness and encourage people to support the foundation and obviously to get checked is really important. You never know when it's going to happen to your family or your friends. Wives and girlfriends watch on at a cricket match. L-R: Nathan Hauritz's wife, Dianne, Mitchell Johnson's partner, Jessica Bratich and Peter Siddle's partner, Katrina Quaine. Jessica had the chance to meet former Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath's wife Jane, who died of breast cancer in 2008 after a long battle with the disease. The McGraths set up the foundation to raise awareness and funds for breast care nurses. I saw her at matches a few times. She was really friendly and laid back," Jessica says. She probably wouldn't have thought that it (the foundation) would get that big and be able to create that much awareness. It's amazing to go to the games when they have the pink days and everyone is decked out in pink and everyone is getting behind it. In only six years, the McGrath Foundation has grown to be considered one of Australia's leading breast cancer support organisations, with more 21,000 Australian families supported by 87 breast care nurses. Australian cricketer Mitchell Johnson and wife Jessica Bratich during advertising shoot for Betts shoes at Sun Studios in Sydney. The aim is to raise enough money to have 150 specially trained nurses to ensure every Australian family experiencing the disease can get access no matter their location or financial situation. Glenn McGrath says he is grateful that the wives and girlfriends of the Australian cricket team continue to support the foundation. "They are just as supportive as the boys, both on and off the pitch and we're so lucky to have them by our side each summer of cricket," he says. Knowing Jane, she would have been incredibly humbled by the support for the McGrath Foundation from the cricketing community and the Australian public and so proud of everything that has been achieved. To walk into the SCG and see this flood of pink from the fans to the boundary signage to pink stumps, still blows me away each year and I know Jane would be very touched to know this was all in her honour. Jessica during a karate tournament in Melbourne during her career. Jessica says becoming a mother has made her more aware of wanting to do everything she can to be around to see her daughter grow up. Even now I'm only 31, but that's something already on my mind, to go and get checks. When it's just you, you don't worry so much about these things, but when you have a baby you think, 'I want to be there for my children'. It rings a bit more true. Mitchell, 32, and Jessica married in 2011 and welcomed Rubika, named after Jessica's beloved grandmother, in December last year. It's not clear whether Mitchell's mother Vikki Harber has met the baby following a fallout before the couple's wedding. Ms Harber told New Idea at the time she was "gutted" to discover via her son's Facebook page that he had wed. Mitchell Johnson and Jessica Bratich Source: News Limited "I'm not talking about that," Jessica says when asked whether her mother-in-law has met Rubika. Despite his own family turmoil, Jessica says Mitchell wanted children from early on. "He was keen on children for ages, but I said, 'Let's wait until I have my 30th'," she says. She's a really happy baby. I'm blessed that she's so smiley and happy because it was pretty hard at the start. Rubika has suffered from severe reflux since birth, and while medication has eased the symptoms, she is still affected by it. Unless you have a baby with reflux, you have no idea. She's been a bit of a challenge," Jessica says. Obviously there are worse things that can happen, but it's pretty full on. People said to me, 'Oh how did you lose the weight so quickly?' I was on walks for 10 hours a day because she was so unsettled. It has been particularly hard on Jessica because Mitchell has travelled with the team for six months of the year. Based in Perth, Jessica hasn't been able to travel with him since Rubika was born. "I would have loved to have been there for those games, but I still sit here and watch it and cheer," she says. Mitchell Johnson and Jessica Bratich arrive for the Allan Border Medal presentation at Crown in Melbourne. I've been flat out with the business and obviously with the baby and building a house, so I've had a lot to try and do and hold the fort over here. I think when you're a mum you get that strength to do whatever you have to do at the time. It's amazing because when you didn't have a baby you were like, 'I'm so tired', and then you get five hours straight sleep and you're excited. Modern technology has been a saviour for the Johnsons, allowing Mitchell to see and speak to his daughter during his long absences. We talk every day and Skype. It's so good to have that technology now when you have a baby because they can see their dad," Jessica says. A year has gone by now and it would have been a lot more difficult without that technology. Baby Rubika gets to see her dad on the big screen as well, especially in recent weeks following his phenomenal bowling success in Australia's Ashes win against England. Australia's Mitchell Johnson celebrates his wicket of Tim Bresnan. "I think Rubika is looking at me funny because I'm jumping up and down on the couch while I'm watching the television, getting excited he's doing so well," Jessica says. She knows who Daddy is on the television, which is quite cute, she watches it and points and says, 'Da da'. She knows his voice. The news came on the other day and he was on, I didn't know because she was in her playpen and I was preparing dinner, and she goes, 'Dad, Dad, Dad', and I didn't know, but when I looked up he was on the TV. Mitchell has been the player of the Ashes series so far, proving critics wrong, much to Jessica's delight and relief. "He's blown everyone else away, but I've always known he had that in him and I'm proud he's been able to just do it and reap the rewards for how hard he has trained," she says. She admits he went through a slump in 2009 before badly injuring his foot, which forced him out of the game for eight months. Australian cricketer Mitchell Johnson and wife Jessica. "It was a bit of a blessing in disguise because it gave him some time out from the game," she says. There were so many doubters (that he would return to form). I think even at that time he'd had enough too and was doubting himself. I thought, 'Just let it play its course, take your time'. But I knew, even though he didn't know at the time, I definitely knew he would get back. I think my background helps with that (as a karate champion) because everyone goes through slumps in sport. Jessica says the pressure on the players is enormous. You can't play consistently for all that time and be brilliant for all that time. There are such unreasonable expectations on players, it's such a full-on game and they're playing all year round," she says. It's not just summertime and that's it, there's summer somewhere all the time so they're always playing somewhere. I think it's an unreasonable expectation, people can't peak all year round, it's just silly. Jessica Johnson was the one who convinced Mitchell to sign up for Movember. And as for the sledging that saw Mitchell and England all-rounder Ben Stokes face a possible ban from the Perth Test for fiery verbal exchanges in both Brisbane and Adelaide? "People are complaining when they're not playing with enough heart and now they're complaining because they are playing really passionately," Jessica says. It's sport, they're men, they're playing hard, I think people just need to get over it. Something she has had to get over is her distaste for facial hair with Mitchell sporting a distinctive moustache for the past month. The mo was for Movember and because there was a save the mo campaign going on we thought it would be good to keep it 'til the end of the Ashes to keep raising money. I think he is over $30,000 and Gillette has come on board to help as well," she says. I signed him up for it because I thought it's such a good cause. I actually really dislike mo's, but because he has had such a reaction to it I said, 'Why don't you keep it till the end of the Ashes and keep raising money'. The Johnsons will celebrate Christmas this year with the rest of the Australian cricket team and their families in Melbourne before the highly anticipated Boxing Day Test. "It's great to be around lots of kids as kids always make Christmas more exciting," Jessica says. It's definitely a lot more exciting having a child at Christmas time as you sort of lose touch with it when you get older, but kids bring back the excitement of it. For more information about the McGrath Foundation and the Boxing Day High Tea at the 'G visit mcgrathfoundation.com.au