Above: Amanda Garner and Grant Denyer bust a move in the first episode of this year’s Dancing with the Stars.By Rebecca Fraser
WHEN former Hallam high school student Grant Denyer scored a C in his year 12 music exam he said he had wanted to smash a guitar.
On Tuesday night, more than 10 years after completing his VCE, the opportunity finally presented itself when the zany 28-year-old performed in front of a national television audience on Channel Seven’s ratings hit, Dancing With the Stars.
His passionate and fiery performance of the pasa doble with dance partner Amanda Garner absolutely wowed the judges and the couple scored a near-perfect score of 39.
The total was the highest dance score of the night, and fulfilled Mr Denyer’s goal of beating Human Nature singer Toby Allen and his dance partner Leeanne Bampton, who have achieved the highest dance score every week since the competition began.
Mr Denyer, a weatherman and all-round zany reporter with Channel Seven’s Sunrise program, is now one of four celebrity dancers left competing in the hit show after radio personality Kate Langbroek bowed out on Tuesday.
The television star spoke to the News on the eve of his performance and said he was looking forward to performing the Spanish gypsy dance, which was based on a bullfight.
“This dance is passionate, strong and angry. I love it,” he said.
Mr Denyer graduated from Eumemmerring College in 1995 after completing all his high school years at the Hallam campus.
He said during his classroom days he never dreamt he would be doing his best Fred Astaire impersonation in front of a national television audience. However, Mr Denyer is quick to attribute some of his television success to his former careers advisor Roger Kettle, who helped him break into the world of journalism by securing him work experience at Prime News in Wagga Wagga.
Since joining the live ballroom dancing competition, Mr Denyer said he had noticed many changes in himself.
“I go for the salad now instead of the parma (chicken parmagiana) and I now go for the fake tan instead of the real tan,” he said. “I even defend Kevin Bacon in Footloose.”
Mr Denyer still keeps in touch with many of his Hallam high school friends and his mother still lives in Narre Warren.
He said the competition stakes were definitely heating up and it was hard to tell who was going to take out the series four title.
Mr Denyer said it was interesting to see how the dynamics of the group had changed as the competition became more fierce.
“We were all really good mates to start out but now no-one wants to bow out,” he said. “At the start we used to back slap each other in the hallways now it is a bit of a hip and shoulder almost.”
Last year Mr Denyer travelled 350,000 kilometres with the popular breakfast show and said both he and Ms Garner had practised their dance routines in many weird and wonderful locations, including cyclone-ravaged North Queensland and even the aisles of airplanes. The rev head also lives and breathes motor racing and began racing a V8 Supercar last year after his driving performances caught the eye of Dick Johnson Racing team. Last year the Supercar rookie was nominated for the CAMS Motor Sport Personality of the Year Award.
To keep Grant Denyer in Dancing with the Stars, call 1902 555 016 or SMS ‘Grant’ to 194 777.
