Busy is an under-statement when it comes to the life of former What Now presenter Carolyn Taylor. As the blonde beauty dives into her training for Dancing with the Stars, spending long days at the dance studio, she has the added challenge of juggling two very important men in her life.
So how exactly does her husband Wes Keep feel about her sizzling, chemistry-filled performances with her dance partner Jonny Williams?
“Obviously, I’m spending a lot of time with another man at the moment, but Wes is a legend and just laughs it off,” grins the 38-year-old.
In fact, when the first saucy publicity shots of Carolyn and Jonny were released, Wes was quick to poke fun at his wife, digitally inserting his own face on top of Jonny’s and sending it to her in a text.
“It was hilarious!” she laughs. “In the photo, Jonny has his hand on my butt, so it looks really intense, but in reality, when we were shooting, my skirt wouldn’t sit right, so he was holding it in place.
“If I’m going to be worried about him touching my butt in a photo, I’m certainly not going to be able to do what’s required in many of the dances – there’s intimate body contact!”
But all jokes aside, Wes couldn’t be more proud of his wife strutting her stuff live in front of the country on DWTS.
“I get quite emotional watching her dance – I had a few tears in my eyes last time,” tells Wes, who works as a clinical consultant.
“The sheer volume of what she’s been doing for this is amazing and to see her just crush it on the night was awesome.”
Their romance was a long time in the making after the pair first met when Carolyn was dating one of Wes’ friends back in 2008. After moving overseas, they kept in touch via the odd birthday message on Facebook and when they both happened to move back to New Zealand in the same year, they decided to catch up.
“He was a slow burn,” tells Carolyn. “Wes was one of those get-to-know-you-first kind of guys, which I really appreciated. He wasn’t about the superficial stuff – he cared about having a relationship.”
After years of being single, Carolyn thought she might never find her lasting love. “Isn’t it funny how life turns out? I was 36 and in stepped Wes, my knight in shining chinos!”
Once the pair officially became an item towards the end of 2015, things moved quickly. By June 2016, they were engaged and that October, they tied the knot in a surprise ceremony at Lake Tekapo.
The pair married in 2016 at Lake Tekapo.
Wes smiles, “We were in our mid-30s and I guess it was one of those things, like, when you know, you know.”
As the lovebirds arrive at our photo shoot, they’re clearly still smitten with each other, despite their busy schedules often keeping them apart.
Carolyn tells, “It’s quite tough. He got a new job recently and some days it’s been a bit like ships in the night. We don’t have much time to see each other. But we always love to support each other’s passion projects.”
For Wes, he’d do anything to help his girl chase her dreams.
“Carolyn always wanted to do Dancing with the Stars and I’m happy to support her. I sent in over 15 votes for her on the night of her dance – I don’t even know if I’m allowed to vote that many times! She’s just this bubbly and warm person. You can’t help but love being around her.”
