Behind The Scenes
The star reveals the heartbreaking reason he’s stripping off in the name of cancer
Shane Jacobson has plenty of experience when it comes to being in front of the camera, but the TV star faces his most nerve-racking job yet when he hosts – and strips off for – Seven’s upcoming charity special The Real Full Monty.
Despite his reservations, Shane says it’s all worth it because it will spread awareness about prostate and testicular cancer – a cause close to his heart. “My stepfather has prostate cancer,” Shane reveals. “Felicity, my wife, encouraged me to take part and said it’ll get people’s attention. She said I’d regret it if I didn’t.
“All the people involved in this project have been affected in one way or another by men’s cancers, so we really want to get the message out there. Men are shockingly bad at going to the doctor so we’re asking men to step out of their comfort zone and to look after themselves,” he adds.
A huge fan of the original film The Full Monty – a 1997 classic about a group of men who lose their jobs at a steelworks and form a strip-tease act – Shane will star alongside the likes of model Kris Smith and ironman Jett Kenny on the night. He’s not intimidated, though – he says if anything, their chiselled physiques put him at ease.
“It’s a massive bonus because it means nobody will be looking at me! If you’ve got a kid standing there with a match in his hand standing beside a fireworks show, who are you going to look at? You’ll be watching the fireworks! My god, even I had a sneaky look at them with their shirts off!” he laughs.
But one thing’s for certain – he won’t be using The Real Full Monty as an excuse to bare all again anytime soon. “I’ve never worn speedos, ever. It’s too much. I always wear board shorts,” he tells us.
“The other guys had the same fears I had about taking their clothes off in front of an audience. Brian Taylor’s been nervous leading up to it, I think most people are. But we try not to show it.
“When you’re part of a team, you tap each other on the back and say, ‘Right, we’re ready to do this!’ It’s not something I’ve done before – or will ever do again!”
Enjoy, ladies!