Rachel's Country Fling - I Want A Kiwi Baby!

The belle of the ballroom has big plans

- Cloe Willetts

Dancing with the Stars NZ judge Rachel White is the first to admit she’s a born-and-bred city slicker. Having lived in Los Angeles for most of her life, the Russian-American professional dancer is at her happiest amid the hustle and bustle of big city life.

But when she joins her Kiwi hubby Stu White in Aotearoa for summer holidays on his parents’ remote Northland farm, she’s forced to ditch the glamour for gumboots, cows and backyard barbecues. Despite some initial culture shock, she’s learned to love this laid-back way of life – even the dodgy phone reception!

“I love how relaxed it is here, but it always takes a bit of time to get used to it because I’m very connected with technology and have always been in the city,” says Rachel, 31, who is back to judge the hit Three show. “You can’t beat a Kiwi summer; it’s just the best. It’s the vibe – beanbags, beaches, barbecues, the people and music. If New Zealand was like that all year long, I’d be living here!”

Rachel, whose gym owner beau is currently back in LA, jokes that she doesn’t always know what to wear when she joins her Kiwi in-laws on the farm. And Stu, who met his brunette babe at one of her salsa classes eight years ago, can’t help but laugh when he compares their upbringings.