Moana Hope opens up about her childhood and caring for her sister Vinny

Moana Hope grew up in a large family of 14 children and spent most of her childhood in government housing.

The former AFLW star and mum has spoken candidly to 9Honey Parenting about living in a small two-bedroom house with her siblings, plus five of her nephews and nieces, after her dad passed away when she was 12.

"At one stage, my mum, a single mum, had 19 kids in the one house. And she looked after and raised 19 of us on her own, which is pretty unbelievable."

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"We didn't grow up with a lot, but we had a roof over our head and my mum worked tirelessly as a nurse to put food on the table as well."

Moana, who is a mother to toddler Svea and pregnant with her second child, also opened up about caring for her sister Lavinia or Vinny.

Vinny has a rare neurological condition called Moebius Syndrome and Moana became her sole carer when she was 26-years-old.

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"Family is huge for me," Moana shares. "Vinny and I are very close. And the only reason I'm her full-time carer is that mum would forsee her health would get the better of her and she wanted to make sure Vinny was settled and always looked after."

"I'm not saying it's easy, but it's like having your best friend living with you. Vinnie has taught me so much about life."

To watch the full interview with Moana, watch the video above