Adventure Having Just Turned 40, Shavaughn Ruakere Is Relishing Every Challenge That Comes Her Way. She Talks Life in La, Her New Health Mantra, and Being Mates With Her Ex, Clarke Gayford
If there’s one thing you soon learn about Kiwi actress and dance star Shavaughn Ruakere, it’s that she loves to tell a yarn. “I’ve got a funny story about that” are words she says often, usually followed by peals of raucous laughter. Whether she’s talking about her recent stint on Dancing with the Stars, her thoughts on turning 40, the time she dated NZ’s ‘first man’ Clarke Gayford, or her various acting gigs, she has the sort of engaging energy that makes you want to pull up a chair and join in the banter.
Shavaughn was 18 months into a stint in Los Angeles when she was offered a spot on Dancing with the Stars, and she says jetting home for the chance to swap scripts for salsa lessons was a no-brainer. She was already a well-known face on our screens, having hosted kids’ TV show What Now, starred in movies including Sione’s Wedding, and played the role of nurse Roimata on Shortland Street for several years, but the prime-time dance show has once again made her a household name.
A fan favourite, her fancy footwork earned her a place in the grand final, but as someone who describes her fitness efforts as “up and down”, she admits the intense training was more than she bargained for.
“We were practising for four to five hours a day – the dance world is brutal! I actually hurt my back in my very first routine, while trying to fling myself over my dance partner’s leg, and ended up in A&E!” she laughs. “I was fine, but I was always amazed at the toll it takes on the body as you’re often using muscles you haven’t used before.”
A lasting bond
This story is from the August 2018 edition of Good Health Choices.
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This story is from the August 2018 edition of Good Health Choices.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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