Despite showing off his rock-hard abs in the TV promos for the new season of Dancing with the Stars NZ, Mike McRoberts is reluctant to embrace his new sex symbol status.
The Newshub anchor spoke to host Sharyn Casey during Sunday's premiere episode ahead of his first dance routine on Monday.
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He credits his fellow newsreader and last season's champion Samantha Hayes with giving him "very helpful" advice about being on the show.
"It's been great having [Hayes], seeing what she's been through to get to where she got to," he said.
"She told me to keep my clothes on - but that hasn't worked, has it?"
Casey pointed out that McRoberts staying fully clothed won't be popular with the New Zealand public, who have left hundreds of enthusiastic social media comments appreciating his physique.
"Is that weird that you've become a bit of a sex symbol?" she asked, to which McRoberts said "totally".
"It's just crazy. I think I'll just carry on doing the news and the abs can go off and do their own thing. Maybe their own show?"
On a more serious note, McRoberts highlighted the "great vibe" among the cast in the month since the Christchurch terror attack, the deadliest in New Zealand history.
"We were all impacted by what happened on March 15, and the fact that the money raised from this week is going towards those families and those Muslim communities - I just want to say on behalf of all the cast, we're so privileged and honoured to do that. As-salaam alaikum."
The next episode of DWTS NZ will air at 7:30pm, Monday on Three. Watch the full episode again on ThreeNow.
Newshub.
