When Hayden Quinn married American model Jax Raynor in Nantucket, Massachusetts, last year, they danced in front of their guests. According to Hayden, it was “very casual”.
“We did a nice little slow dance,” the MasterChef Australia favourite tells TV WEEK. “Nothing choreographed, more a moment between myself and Jax. I know some people do lessons and have routines and that sort of stuff – I was just trying to get through the day!”
Hayden, 37, says Jax has often tried to get him to dance with her in the kitchen.
“It brings back memories of her grandma and grandpa dancing together,” he explains. “But I’m not the best dancer, to be honest.”
Hayden’s dance skills have improved dramatically since signing on to Dancing With The Stars. But it wasn’t Jax who inspired Hayden to say yes to the show – it was his niece Harlem, who’s turning 11 and loves dancing.
“It’s basically her whole life,” Hayden explains. “I wanted to be able to be like, ‘Hey, I can do it too – your Uncle Hayden’s having a crack.’ She was a big inspiration and she helped me a little bit along the way.”
Hayden, who’s part-owner of a gym, was fit even before he started dance training with his partner Lily Cornish. When he performs his first dance on the show this week, he has judge Helen Richey flirting with him, and fellow judge Craig Revel Horwood commenting on his “fabulous biceps”. But Hayden says he actually lost muscle while training.
“I lost a heap of weight from all the dancing,” he adds. “I was hungry a lot of the time.”
To fuel his body, Hayden would bring in the same “simple, boring, basic thing” throughout the weeks he trained with Lily.
“I’d bake a meatloaf on Sunday night and eat the same thing every day for five days straight,” he says. “I felt pretty bad for Lily, because she’s a vegetarian!
“I relied on my lovely wife to be providing the treats. She made some nice banana bread and different things for us along the way.”
With DWTS having finished shooting, Hayden is focusing on his “main passion” – the next season of his show, Taste Of Australia With Hayden Quinn.
“My favourite thing is telling a story of where our food comes from here in Australia,” he says.
Apart from that, he and Jax are busy looking after their puppy – “Peanut is our little baby at the moment” – and there’s also likely to be some dancing in the kitchen.
“I should be doing that more often. That would be a very lovely thing.”
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