The man with the 'dad-bod' has won Dancing With the Stars

Herald online

19 Jul, 2015 08:22 AM2 mins to read

Simon Barnett during his final routine. Photo / Supplied

The man with the so-called "dad-bod" has been crowned the winner of Dancing With the Stars.

A tearful Simon Barnett and his dance partner Vanessa Cole were tonight confirmed the winners of the TV3 reboot of the reality show, beating runner-up Chrystal Chenery to the top spot.

"We'll never forget this - it's been a rush," Barnett told the judges after scoring a perfect 30 for his second dance of the night, a "powerful, punchy and masculine" Paso Doble to Eye of the Tiger.

The winners with their trophy. Photo / Supplied

Simon Barnett and Vanessa Cole perform on the finale of Dancing With the Stars.

Chenery, a former competitor on The Bachelor NZ, told host Dominic Bowden she had grown up watching Barnett on television and was "in awe" of him.

Barnett, a radio DJ and former game show host, had a rough start to the competition but kept improving and was regularly among the top scorers each week.

The 48-year-old father-of-four also earned attention for his self-confessed "dad-bod" - his toned, sculpted and shaved chest which he revealed through a selection of low-cut shirts.

After his win, Barnett teared up as he told host Bowden that he owed his win to Cole, and his understanding wife and family, who were cheering him on from the crowd.

"The trainers deserve 90 per cent of the credit - the celebrities 10," he said. "It's a mission, the training's 10 hours a day. I'm away from home a lot ..."

Barnett, who had already cried while talking about his dad's reaction to his dancing, then paused to sniff again, telling Bowden: "I lost my man card tonight."

Earlier, Siobhan Marshall and her dance partner Charlie Billington were the first couple eliminated from the grand final.

Siobhan Marshall and Charlie Billington perform on the finale of Dancing With the Stars. They were the night's first elimination.

Marshall, a former star of Outrageous Fortune, was eliminated after her judges' score of 26 was combined with audience votes.

She told Bowden she would continue to dance after the show.

"It's been an incredible experience and we've just loved the whole thing."

She later told co-host Sharyn Casey: "It was so full on, you really can't have a life ... I'm going on a cruise."

The finale also included a number of guest performances, including a raunchy number by judge Candy Lane, and hosts Dominic Bowden and Sharyn Casey getting jiggy with it for the first time.