Hayden Quinn has traded in the kitchen for the dance floor, and there’s a super sweet reason he decided to join Dancing With The Stars 2024.
In an interview with Chattr ahead of the DWTS premiere, Hayden revealed that he joined the show to make a special someone proud.
“My little niece, she’s a bit of a dancer,” he shared fondly. “So I wanted to show her that Uncle Hayden could do some dancing as well and get her excited about it.”
Hayden said that his 11-year-old niece is “pumped” to watch him on TV and revealed that she even got to come to one of the live shows.
“She actually came to one of the live recordings because it’s all live studio audience,” he said. “She came along there and got to go backstage, meet all the dancers, see all the costumes and the makeup, and she was just in absolute heaven!”
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Hayden on how intense the DWTS rehearsals were
While Hayden’s niece might be a “bit of a dancer,” he entered the dancing competition with zero experience, which meant he needed to learn from scratch during the rehearsals.
“Gosh, it was full-on. I think we were at it [rehearsing] for like seven weeks or so,” he shared. “And we were doing five days a week, eight hours a day. Just going for it.”
Hayden explained that he needed the dancing boot camp to get ready for the competition.
“You’ve got to have that intensity. Because, for me, I was learning a brand new skill right from the start. So it’s an intense crash course in ballroom dancing.”
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How is Hayden Quinn using his cooking skills on DWTS?
Some contestants with a musical background, like Samantha Jade, might have the upper hand on a show like Dancing With The Stars.
Hayden struggled to find a link between the show and his time on MasterChef Australia but said that his day-to-day hobby may help him on Dancing With The Stars.
“The biggest link for me was surfing. Moving your body when you’re surfing, getting your feet in the right position.”
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Watch Dancing With The Stars Australia 2024 on Sundays from 7pm on Channel 7 and 7plus.
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