In the famous words of Freddie Mercury, “Another one bites the dust!” After his quirky pasodoble to Queen’s ’80s rock anthem failed to impress, Ben Barrington fell victim to Dancing with the Stars NZ’s nail-biting elimination, missing out on a highly coveted spot in the TV3 semi-final.
But after weeks of harsh criticism from the trio of judges, the actor wasn’t the least bit surprised his dancing days were over. “I’m a little bit disappointed. Like with any competition you’re involved in, you want to be there until the end,” says Ben, 38, who competed with dance partner Krystal Stuart. “But at the same time, there were other dancers who were clearly more capable than me.
“Going up against the judges each week was tough. Krystal and I would work our butts off, then we’d get hurtful comments like, ‘That did nothing for me,’ or, ‘I had to look away,’ without any acknowledgement of the weeks of hard work.
“I’m not a naturally gifted dancer, but I felt bad on behalf of Krystal. She choreographed those scenes only to get told they looked rubbish week after week. I have to take my hat off to her because she showed real stamina and resilience to continue to smile off that negative feedback.”
Krystal clear
While the duo had a tough time persuading the judges with their performances, Ben and Krystal’s chemistry had many cast and crew members convinced there was a real-life romance brewing.
However, Ben tells Woman’s Day he paid little attention to all the backstage gossip. “There is absolutely no truth to them,” insists the star, who is in a long-term relationship with girlfriend Kristie Stewart. “I’ve enjoyed getting to know Krystal – her commitment to teaching me to dance has been very humbling and inspiring – but nothing ever happened between her and I that went beyond the boundaries of performing.
“All the dances we do are based on stories about a man and a woman being in love, sometimes physically, so as performers and entertainers, we have to play that role. In a way, I find the rumours flattering – it’s great to think people believe in our performance that much.”
Thankfully, the rumours haven’t rocked Ben’s relationship. He says, “We’ve been together
for a while, so for Kristie, it’s just like, ‘Here we go again.’ I’ve had to do love scenes on TV before, so faking intimacy and dealing with the gossip that can go with that are part of what actors do.”
Ben shot to fame on The Almighty Johnsons, then crossed the ditch for a role in Offspring. He’ll soon steam up our screens as a surgeon on Shortland Street.
Although he will miss the friendships forged on Dancing with the Stars, he’ll no longer be juggling 20 weekly hours of dance rehearsal with learning scripts and filming scenes for Shorty – and he’s looking forward to reacquainting himself with Auckland after a couple of years in Australia.
“I’m just a typical Kiwi bloke at heart,” says Ben, admiring the view on our shoot at Piha Beach. “Singlets and jandals, sausages on the barbie and beers on the beach – I love the beach. I am very grateful to be a Kiwi and feel lucky that I call New Zealand home. Not everyone gets to enjoy the sand and surf at their doorstep.”
Spandex shock!
Despite his disappointment at no longer being on the show, Ben’s glad to get away from the flamboyant wardrobe, which often terrified him more than mastering any tricky dance number could.
“There was one week where I was standing on stage in the dying seconds before performing live,” he recalls, chuckling. “I remember looking down and just registering then that I’d squeezed myself into a tight, black, spandex thing. Scary! I felt like a dairy farmer who was ready to come out of the closet after 20 years. As if I was all geared up to walk down the pub and tell everyone, ‘I’ve been living a lie!’”
