DOMINIC BOWDEN & MUM SIOBHAN

At 1.9m, Dominic towers over his petite mother, but Siobhan says he’ll forever be her baby boy. “When he was 14, he was as tall as he is now, so when I told him off – and I did quite a bit at that age – I had to make him sit down so we could be at eye level,” smiles the mum-of-three. “For a long time, though, he was an only child, so I take full responsibility for spoiling our little man.”

Wrapping his dear mum in a giant hug, Dom jokingly apologises for the trouble he put her through as a teen. “At one point, she had to disconnect the phones and all but lock me in my room because I refused to do my schoolwork,” laughs the host of TheBachelorNewZealand.

“I know now everything Mum did, she did with my best interests at heart. There’s absolutely no way I’d be where I am today without her guidance and support.”

The duo – who enjoy travelling, eating out and exercising together – are so close that after our shoot, Dominic was treating his mum to a surprise bottle of champers and a luxury massage. Kind-hearted and generous to a fault, Siobhan says her boy often gives her the VIP treatment, but this Mother’s Day, she doesn’t need presents. Now that Dom is back in NZ after a decade pursuing his showbiz career in Los Angeles, Siobhan has everything she needs right in front of her.

“It’s the ultimate gift,” she says. “We expected a lot from him being the eldest, but he continues to make me proud. He has such an infectious energy about him – he has a big heart and works hard, but he never lets his successes go to his head.”

There’s absolutely no way I’d be where I am today without her support’ guidance and