Hitting his stride
AS A PREVIOUS WINNER, LUKE JACOBZ COULDN’T WAIT TO HIT THE TV DANCEFLOOR AGAIN
It was an instant yes for Luke Jacobz when Dancing With the Stars came calling again. The actor took out the title in 2008 with partner Luda Kroitor, and discovered not only how much he loved dancing, but also that he was actually quite good at it.
“There was not a second of thought,” Jacobz says. “When they said they were doing a comeback I was ‘yes, I’m there. I’ll drop whatever it is I’m doing’. It’s just been amazing and I wish it could go forever.
“I have never been more happy with a choice that I’ve made.”
Well, perhaps he was just a little happier choosing to ask his girlfriend Raychel Stuart to marry him. And at her answering yes. But Jacobz is currently hanging out to hold her in his arms – the pair were due to be wed in November last year but have instead been apart for more than 400 days, with Stuart in California and Jacobz here thanks to COVID restrictions.
But there’s finally light at the end of their tunnel. Halfway through filming the first episode of Dancing With the Stars:
All Stars, the couple received news from their immigration lawyer that Stuart’s travel exemption had been granted. They now have their fingers crossed she will be able to fly to Australia in June.
“It’s the most amazing feeling to know when I can see my fiancee again,” Jacobz says.
“It’s been a very, very long time and really, really, really hard waiting. We’re both over the moon.”
In the absence of being physically face-to-face, the pair stay connected thanks to technology. They regularly sit down and have dinner together. Stuart helps him choose outfits. What Jacobz hasn’t done is to beam her into rehearsals. Nor will he virtually sit with her and watch the two-week event on Channel 7.
“Look I just don’t know how I’ll go,” a slightly bashful Jacobz admits. “If I get a good result, then I’ll let her see. Otherwise she’s going to have to wait until she gets here and we can check it out together. That’s the safest bet.
“I mean what if she sees me dancing and decides not to come. Best wait I think.”
He was the dark horse in 2008 but ultimately held the mirror ball aloft. How does he think he’ll fare this second time?
“To be honest when I saw the cast list and then watched the other people when we were doing the promo shoots, I didn’t rate myself a chance at all.
“I haven’t danced since (last time on the show). I knew if I wanted to make it past the first dance that I really needed to focus and to commit to it. Just commit wholeheartedly.
“But I was petrified – I’m not going to lie.”
He’s right, the cast list is absolutely amazing. Joining him on the dance floor is the first DWTS champion, Bec Hewitt, and fellow winners TV presenter Tom Williams (Season 2 2005), Home And Away’s Ada Nicodemou (Season 3 2005) and chef Manu Feildel (Season 11 2011). Other stars waltzing their way back include radio host Fifi Box, actor Lincoln Lewis, model Erin McNaught, interior designer Kyly Clarke and TV presenter Jamie Durie. Competing alongside the all stars will be the wildcards Schapelle Corby, former Bachelor Matty Johnson, TV host Renee Bargh and model and actress Jessica Gomes. Together with original hosts Sonia Kruger and Daryl Somers and judges Helen Richey, Todd McKenney, Paul Mercurio and Mark Wilson. Despite already returning to Summer Bay to reprise his role as detective Angelo Rosetto last year, Jacobz was overjoyed to reunite with his Home And Away mates Nicodemou, Hewitt and Lewis. The four of them managed a cheeky visit back to the Aussie soap’s iconic diner, with the set just adjacent to where they were filming DWTS. “I’ve known Bec for years but haven’t seen her for a while,” Jacobz says. “When we first saw each other in the corridor, there was a really lovely moment where we hugged and we held each other for five seconds longer because it was so good to see each other.”
Jacobz is hoping he’ll spark some new projects from this new turn around the dancefloor. “I’d love to say I’m working on a project – you know, that Marvel has come and asked me to work with them or there’s a musical I’m a part of, a show they want me to host,” he jokes. “But at the moment I don’t have anything lined up.”
First, though, it’s planning all the things to do with Stuart when she touches down. There isn’t as yet a rescheduled wedding date, but Jacobz reveals marriage and babies will be on the cards very soon. “There’ll be dinners out and movies and introducing her to some of my closest friends who she’s never met,” he says, laughing as we suggest they probably won’t want to leave his home initially. “Yes – you’re right. ”