TV WEEK Gold Logie winner John Wood is just one of the eight celebrities baring all on tonight’s The All New Monty with the aim to raise awareness for men’s health.
Here, the Blue Heelers star reveals to TV WEEK why he didn’t need much persuasion to join the all-star line-up…
John Wood will strip off on tonight’s All New Monty.
(Image: Channel Seven)Did you have any reservations before agreeing to take part?
It really didn’t take much persuasion. I’ve been naked on stage a couple of times throughout my career. I can’t say I much enjoyed it but there you are. I’ve never done a big strip to music as this would be, and everything in this line of work is a challenge that you can accept or not. So I would have felt chicken-hearted if I hadn’t done it.
How do you feel about stripping off?
I don’t have the world’s most beautiful body – in fact, it’s barely acceptable – but it’s been that way for about 50 years so what the hell? It wouldn’t be much of a surprise to anyone who’d been watching me and my weight for hundreds of episodes of Blue Heelers and everything else I’d been involved with for so long.
Who was the most nervous?
It’s hard to say who was most nervous. Most of the team were footy players so had spent years in the changing room showers with nothing on. But I suspect a lot of the butch bluster was nerve covering bravado. Also, these guys were enormous. Lote [Tuqiri] and George [Burgess] were even bigger than Dipper [Robert DiPierdomenico] and Fev [Brendan Fevola]. I watched the make-up girls applying paint to George and it was like they were constructing a giant sculpture. That led me to inevitable probable comparisons. Sure, I’m big too – but more simply overweight than gigantic!
Clockwise from top left: host Shane Jacobson, Brendan, John, Lote, Sam, Dipper, George, Matty J and choreographer Todd.
(Image: Channel Seven)Did anyone in particular struggle with the routine?
Fev was very confident from the get go, Sam [Moran] was brilliant, like he’d been doing it forever, and I was constantly amazed at how light on his feet Dipper was. Lote was constantly encouraging. On the night I was more worried about my poppers popping inappropriately than by anything else.
Will your family be watching?
I honestly have no idea who’ll be watching. Leslie [my wife] and most of the family got bored with watching me years ago, and I can’t say I blame them. There’s been an awful lot of it over fifty years. I understand the grandchildren will be warned.
Have you been impacted by testicular or prostate cancer in any way?
When you get to my age many of your acquaintances have had prostate issues. It’s pretty much a universal problem in need of solutions, and hopefully this will go some way to providing them.
The All New Monty, Tuesday July 30, 7.30pm, Channel Seven
