The Bachelor NZ star Zac Franich is nursing a broken heart.
Being eliminated from Dancing With The Stars NZ on Monday night with his partner Kristie feels a bit like being dumped, he says.
And he should know. He did, after all, go semi-professional in the break-up arena on national TV last year, withholding rose after rose from the lovesick contestants.
Now it's Zac's turn to feel the stinging pain of rejection.
"We're gutted. It sucks," he said.
"We don't want go, we want to keep dancing. It's kind of like the death of your favourite pet or something. It's not very nice."
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I attempted to console Zac by offering him clip art of a rose I had freshly printed before our interview.
He promptly screwed it up and threw it over his shoulder.
"Too soon," he said.
Moving on quickly, we talked about how his new relationship with TV presenter Erin Simpson withstood the judge's flirtatious comments following his Tango.
"I was very conscious that my partner Erin was in the stands," he said.
"She was like, watching me, sharpening her nails... [Looking] back to the judges going, 'I see you, I'm waiting for you'."
Erin was indeed in the audience, every single week - providing support, as well as plethora of cutesy cut-away shots for the cameras.
"She's my number one fan, and it's really awesome to be in a relationship with someone who you love, and they are behind you 100 percent."
I asked if that support remained unconditional, considering some of Zac's ballroom outfits.
"Even when I'm wearing a mesh singlet," he said.
"Especially when I'm wearing a mesh singlet."
Perhaps he might bring that mesh singlet home, I offered. He already has, he said.
Once again, we moved on quickly. It is a family show, after all.
Unlike with most failed relationships, Zac says he has no regrets about his performance on the show.
"There's not a lot we would have done differently. We felt we danced really well, we felt we were consistently at the top end of the leaderboard."
What about any jealousy towards David Seymour? The ACT MP remained on the show last night despite the cries of anguish from the people of Twitter.
"What the heck New Zealand? Zac and Kristie go home before David Seymour. Most definitely a conspiracy going on here," one commentator wrote.
"I do admire you, David," Zac said.
"But I reckon if it was one-on-one, we would crush you."
Perhaps the passion Zac and Kristie brought to their Paso Doble last night is still having an effect.
Dry your eyes, Zac - you done good.
Viewers can help keep their favourite dancer in the competition by texting their first name to 3333 - each text costs 99c and net proceeds go to that star's chosen charity.
The next episode of Dancing with the Stars NZ will air Sunday at 7pm on Three, and all episodes can be viewed again on ThreeNow.
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