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Meet the blokes of Dancing With The Stars

Introducing the men who are shedding their shirts and getting ready to rumba on Dancing With The Stars.
Dancing With The Stars

It’s back! Dancing with the Stars has hit our screens once again, and here at the Weekly, we thought we should celebrate by bringing the five sexy celebrity men of the show together for a fun photoshoot. Of course, every photo shoot needs a director, and who better to teach the boys a thing or two about posing than New Zealand’s resident modelling maverick Colin Mathura-Jeffree?

Between takes, and Colin demonstrating his “blue steel” stare and teaching Maz how to correctly button his jacket – there are “sometimes”, “always” and “never” buttons, apparently – we caught up with the boys to talk sequins, salsa and shaking their tail feathers.

Colin Mathura-Jeffree (43)

PARTNER Kristie Williams

CHARITY Alzheimers New Zealand

Why did you decide to give it a go?

Many different reasons – and so many of my friends asked me! One day, I just said, “Okay. Let’s go for it.” You’re hanging out with your friends, you’re doing something new, why not challenge yourself?

Does your modelling experience help you with dancing?

Maybe at the start, where you have to be confident, and the end, with that final look. I’ve got those two moments and nothing else!

Do you consider yourself a perfectionist in real life?

Oh, totally. I’m a control freak. Kristie seems to think I’m doing okay. I look at her and think, “Are you just pulling my leg?” I was on Top Model and would say, “You’re doing great!” when people were a train wreck!

Is your charity quite close to your heart?

Very much so because of my grandmother, who had Alzheimer’s. Hopefully, she’s smiling down at me. I love that it’ll really help awareness for all the charities.

Shane Cameron (37)

PARTNER Nerida Cortese

CHARITY Child Cancer Foundation

You seem to be enjoying your new attire!

Yeah, I’m loving it. I quite like this bow tie and love the pants. I might buy these! This is a big departure from boxing!

What made you decide to give it a go?

Yeah, it’s a big change. My wife bullied me into doing it! Nah, she just said it would be good. Since I retired from boxing, I’ve been on the lookout for some challenge. It’s gloves off on the dance floor for me! I have no idea what I’m doing.

Your dance partner Nerida has had some success with another Shane in the past – how is it going with her?

She’s amazing and very patient.

Why did you pick your charity?

I’ve done a bit for Child Cancer in the past – I did a bike trip from Auckland to Wellington. We met a lot of the kids that were suffering, and man, when you’re having a bad day, you just think about those kids and the families that are going through that.

Have you had any dancing experience before?

Nope. The last time I danced was at my wedding, and it was a little twirl here and a little twirl there. I’m a country boy at heart and the closest we get to dancing, apart from maybe moving your arms around a little bit, is walking to the bar to get the next drink!

Simon Barnett

PARTNER Vanessa Cole

CHARITY The Salvation Army

Why did you decide to give the show a go?

My wife laments the fact that whenever she asks me to dance, I decline. This is really to honour Jodi, so that one day soon I can sweep her up in my arms and tango!

Are you feeling confident?

I think “What is the worst that can happen?” and remember that no-one has ever actually died from embarrassment.

What do you think of the wardrobe?

I thought my zip had broken on my tango top only to realise that there is no zip beyond my navel.

Any embarrassing moments so far?

The spray tan nearly killed me. When the first question is, “Would you like a paper G-string?” and the second one is, “Could you open your legs? We don’t want an unsightly tan line”, you know you are in for an adventure!

Ben Barrington (38)

PARTNER Krystal Stuart

CHARITY St John

What’s your previous dancing experience?

Well, I have danced for money.  Men of Steel for six years.

Do you plan on bringing any of those moves to DWTS?

I know I’ll be bringing some of that to DWTS.

What is the motivation behind choosing your charity?

I’ll probably need them at some point! Broken hip, broken head! Especially when I attempt to do the splits.

What made you decide to do the show?

I’ve thought it would be really cool to learn how to dance, for years. Genuinely. It’s one of those things you never get around to doing. I just decided, “Yup. I’m gonna learn how to dance.” It just seemed like the perfect opportunity. And there will be nowhere to hide. Mesh doesn’t hide much!

How are you feeling about the wardrobe?

I’ve been naked on stage. Once you’ve gone full nude, there’s only one path that goes from there where things could get worse – and this isn’t that path!

Maz Quinn (38)

PARTNER Caryn Lim

CHARITY Surf Lifesaving New Zealand

Why did you decide to go on the show?

I wanted to get outside my comfort zone – I haven’t done that much before and this is about as far out of it as I can get! It’s good to get some new skills.

How are you finding the costumes?

I love them! Well, not the sequins – it’s fair to say some of the outfits aren’t my cup of tea. But you go with the flow. If you‘re going to get outside your comfort zone, you may as well go in deep. Surfing Lycra is a lot thicker!

How are you fitting in the rehearsals?

I’ve got a lot of spare time! Also my girlfriend lives up here in Auckland so she’s happy I’m here instead of home in Gisborne.

What does she think of you doing the show?

She’s 100% supportive. I asked her initially and she was the one that told me to do it! She’s been really good about it.

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