One is a retired football star, and the other has quickly become a master of the ballroom — now Ben Cousins and Samantha Jade are set to waltz into the semifinals of Dancing With The Stars as friends and foes. Sharing a bond as the competition’s only two Perth-raised talents, the pair had never met until their parallel fates were written into the stars and onto national TV screens. “I love Samantha, I have admired what she’s done from afar for a long time,” Cousins told PerthNow.
“Being a Perth girl, you take a little bit of extra interest and follow her pursuits.” Collecting middling scores for his Foxtrot, Cha Cha Cha, and Viennese Waltz, respectively, Cousins revealed “almost paralysing” nerves prevented him from replicating his training form despite partner Siobhan Power’s calming influence. With a team-first mentality ingrained from his Eagles playing days, the Brownlow winner admits he was cheering a little louder for his WA rival.
“I think we should have wished each other well and supported each other through it a bit more than the others,” the 46-year-old suggested. Describing Jade’s skills on the dancefloor as “incredible”, he’s proud to see her strongly representing our state as a competition frontrunner. Somewhat star-struck at their first encounter, the singer, 37, recalled introducing herself to the “sweet and quiet” Perth local in an initial cast meeting.
“I was like, ‘I’m just going to go say hi, introduce myself,’ an.