Revealed: Ali Mau's new lady love romance

Karleen Edmonds lives in St Heliers. The top dance teacher met Ali Mau at an Auckland dance school. Photo / Doug Sherring

TVNZ presenter Ali Mau, who separated from One News frontman Simon Dallow last year, is understood to be in a new relationship - with a woman.

Mau, 44, is believed to be seeing hip hop dance teacher and aerobics champion Karleen Edmonds, aged in her 30s, after they met at an Auckland dance school which Mau's daughter is thought to have attended.

The couple have been spotted together in recent months.

Mau and Dallow announced their separation in a public statement issued via TVNZ last June and the break-up has been subject of various newspaper and women's magazine articles.

In a carefully worded statement yesterday, Mau said: "I am aware that there's been a lot of speculation in recent weeks about my personal life; these rumours don't bother me.

"I said in June last year that my children were my most important priority and to protect them I would not discuss our private lives in a public forum.

"My position on this has not changed. I'd like to hope that the New Zealand media will be responsible and continue to protect my children's right to privacy despite my reasonably high-profile career.

"I'd also like to reassure people that I am happy, my children are happy and for my family that's the most important thing."

Edmonds would not comment yesterday. "I'm sorry, you'll have to go," she said at the door of her St Heliers home.

According to a website biography, Edmonds has specialised in hip hop for about 10 years, with foundation training in ballet and jazz. She teaches in dance studios, secondary schools and tertiary institutions.

"Her dancing extended to include aerobics where she won titles in teams and pairs in aerobic competitions," says the biography.

"As a dancer, Karleen's performance work has included stage, television and commercial work, including a dance tour of Canada and the United States. She has choreographed for a number of prominent New Zealand musicians and clients such as Coca Cola."

In a cover story in the New Zealand Woman's Weekly last July, a "close friend" of Mau spoke of the events leading up to her marriage break-up with Dallow.

"She said to me 'I don't think I'm in love with my husband'," the friend said. "I laughed and said, 'you don't have to be in love with him all the time, you know!' But she said, 'No, I don't think I love him any more - full stop'."

She and Dallow had been together 19 years, 13 of them as a married couple.

The friend told the magazine that Mau and Dallow had tried hard to make their marriage work and no third parties were involved.

"In the end it was her choice - the day had come - but the break-up was totally agreed to by Simon."

TVNZ would not comment yesterday about Mau's new relationship. She is expected to front Breakfast next week, alongside Pippa Wetzell.

It is understood news boss Anthony Flannery, who is believed to have been made aware of the friendship, is concerned about the impact that publicity might have on Mau's two children. He did not return calls yesterday.

Edmonds is listed by the New Zealand Companies Office as a director of Bubblegum Kidz Ltd - a talent agency for children - Beat Street Studio Ltd and The Australasian Dance Association Ltd, although her name is no longer on the latter's website.

It is understood she was teaching at the Victoria Phillips Academy in Glen Innes when she met Mau.

She has established a dance syllabus that is taught in various venues and it is understood she was at a workshop in Sydney last week.

The Victoria Phillips Academy is run by Corinne Boocock. Boocock would not speak to the Herald on Sunday yesterday about Edmonds' relationship with Mau, directing questions to her lawyer Stephen Langton. He would not comment.

Mau's friend told the Woman's Weekly last year that Mau and Dallow would remain friends. "They don't hate each other. They were sensible enough to discuss their future before it got to a hate situation.

"It was 'is this it for us for the long-term? Or shall we go our separate ways and give our kids two happy parents?"'

Mau reappeared in the Woman's Weekly last month, talking about her role as a Unicef ambassador. The magazine reported that Mau said, "with a smile": "I'm also going to keep reading the news on Breakfast a couple of days a week, which is great because I adore being part of the team.

"Then there are other things in the wind that I'm looking forward to revealing to you soon."

The Ali Mau file

* Born in Melbourne, 1965.
* Lands first reporting job aged 18 at the Warracknabeal Herald in northwestern Victoria.
* Hired by the the Melbourne Herald in 1984.
* Meets Simon Dallow a tour operator, while on Contiki holiday in Europe in 1989.
* Presents TV3's Newsnight with Marcus Lush in 1992.
* Marries Dallow in 1996.
* Mau and Dallow present One News together from 1999 until 2003.
* In early 2005 Mau leaves TVNZ to work for Paul Holmes on Prime.
* Prime dumps Mau in February 2006; she returns to TVNZ in March 2008.