It was the moment that caused the nation to take a collective gasp, with Roger Farrelly tumbling to the floor with his partner Carol-Ann Hickmore on Dancing with the Stars.
At home in Papamoa in the Bay of Plenty, Rog’s biggest fan, his mum Carolynn, was staring at the TV screen in horror as her son ended his quick-step splayed on the dance floor.
The 67-year-old part-time gardener tells Woman’s Day, “I was watching it with my daughter and son-in-law, and we all went, ‘No!’ We were holding our breaths. It was horrible. I couldn’t believe it as they were almost at the finish. They only had a few more steps to go and then it was this big crash.”
The Rock radio DJ – who has been hosting The Morning Rumble for the past 24 years and was last year named New Zealand’s Hottest Radio Hunk by Woman’s Day readers – admits it was the finale to what had been an extremely challenging week on the show.
“I knew I only had to do the dance once, for 90 seconds,” he says, explaining that he suffered from a bout of “man flu” during training. “And when I was running backwards, I thought, ‘We’re almost done –I got through it!’ But then I went too fast and fell over.”
Despite his fall, Rog, 44, escaped elimination from the hit Three show – and Carolynn says it’s likely due to texts from her and her daughter Denise, Rog’s younger sister.
“We sent in a few extra votes to make up for it,” she confesses with a cheeky smile. “And I sent him a text that night saying, ‘Are you OK? Hope you didn’t hurt yourself!’ Because really, the dance went so well up until that point.”
Smooth-talking father-of-two Rog joined the seventh season of Dancing after his Morning Rumble co-hosts Andrew Mulligan and Bryce Casey entered him in the show without his knowledge. And while he says they definitely sprung it on him, he actually loved the idea as his mother is an avid fan of the series, plus he gets to raise money for his charity, the Ronald McDonald House.
“I did think to myself that Mum would be pretty excited I would be on it,” says Rog. “I didn’t think in a million years that I would be on this show. I always thought you had to be asked and then it was kind of landed on top of me.”
He adds that his dancing journey has been “incredible”, with his daughters Olivia, 17, and Grace, 13, helping him each night with his moves.
“I wondered if the girls would just hate it because it’s really uncool for Dad to be on Dancing and they might get hassled at school,” Rog admits.
“But it’s been the opposite, really. The first episode I danced in, all of Olivia and Grace’s friends came around for a viewing, so they all had a massive party.”
But has he wowed his wife Lisa with his dance moves?
“Not so much,” Rog laughs. “She just asks why I keep wearing these crazy costumes for the show. But I want to stand out.”
The radio star admits he’s not sure how much longer he’s got on the show. But still proud of his Hottest Radio Hunk title, he’s certain it’s Woman’s Day readers who are helping to keep him in.
“When I entered that contest last year, it just took off,” grins Rog.
“I reckon it’s the same people kicking in again. But if I go, it will definitely be Mum who will be more gutted.”
Beaming, Carolynn says, “It’s true. I’m loving seeing him on the show. I’ve always watched that programme anyway, but now it’s extra-special he’s in it. I’m really proud of him.”
