When Rob Mills first appeared on Dancing with the Stars back in 2009, he was eliminated second.
At the time he was just making his mark in music theatre with the role of Fiyero in Wicked, which he would play for 12 months.
Since then he has filled his CV with music theatre productions including Legally Blonde, Grease, Ghost the Musical, The Last Five Years and Jesus Christ Superstar.
While musicals have required him to move, he still considers himself singer / actor.
“If I get asked to do a dance call, I will speak to the producer and say, ‘There’s no need for that.’ You need to give me a month’s notice. I can’t pick up the 5,6,7,8!” he concedes.
“But I think I’m much more confident in my body after having done a few shows. I think as you get older, you just become a bit more confident in who you are as a person.”
“Todd had it in for me”
For his Dancing with the Stars: All Stars return he was partnered with Alarna Donovan. After an understandably quiet year due to COVID impacting the arts, he decided to try his luck a second time.
He recalls 2009, then-hosted by Daniel MacPherson, wasn’t his best effort.
“Todd had it in for me. But Helen did say that I was one of her favourites. So this series I was hoping with Helen back, and having worked with Todd, maybe there was a bit more of a ‘bromance’ there. I was wrong. I was wrong!” he laughs.
“Anything that was Latin I really struggled with. I don’t feel like I’m very sexy. But the ballroom stuff I felt like I could do. That’s more of a ‘white guy’ dance. So I feel like I improved from the last time I was on.”
In Sunday night’s episode he dances in Group B alongside David Rodan, Sam Mac, Ricki-Lee, Courtney Act, Olympia Valance, Deni Hines & Angie Kent. Splitting the cast in two made life easier allowing extra time to get routines polished.
“I loved being able to watch everyone else’s dances. It was like going to a gig. Every night I get to watch my friends dancing. There were a few times I actually cried because it was so beautiful and moving. I forget sometimes how beautiful dance is and what a great form of storytelling it is.”
Millsy, who recently became engaged to journalist Georgie Tunny, is also adding to his CV with a recent co-hosting of The Morning Show on Seven.
“It felt quite natural. I mean, Kylie (Gillies) was doing most of the heavy lifting, but it didn’t feel foreign. Hopefully there’ll be more.”
Meanwhile he is also hoping to join friends on stage in a new project soon -and he still harbors a desire to host Seven’s reboot of Australian Idol.
“That would be my dream!” he laughs.
As for his dancing, he still rates himself modestly, but he’s improved on his 2009 performance.
“I think I’m a 5 out of 10, which was most of my marks! But they are the professional judges,” he notes.
“Having said that, there are professional therapists on Married at First Sight and I don’t think they’re very good at giving advice… just saying!”
Dancing with the Stars: All Stars screens 7pm Sunday on Seven.