Kris Smith details his body shame and low self-esteem ahead of strip for The Real Full Monty
DESPITE self-esteem issues model and TV host Kris Smith was happy to bare all on national TV in Channel 7’s raunchy The Real Full Monty.
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WOULD you dare to bare? That was the question asked by Channel 7 to a swag of Aussie male celebrities. Eight answered the call.
Model Kris Smith said yes and he is joined host/actor Shane Jacobson, AFL star Campbell Brown, NRL great Matt Cooper, radio personality Brendan Jones, Ironman Jett Kenny and Seven commentator Brian Taylor for a one-night-only strip in The Real Full Monty.
Former Dancing with the Stars judge Todd McKenney choreographed the lads’ routine which is designed to raise awareness of men’s health issues.
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Smith, who has an eight-year-old son with Dannii Minogue, is about to turn 40. He and new partner Sarah Boulazeris have announced they are expecting a child.
What was your first reaction when you were asked to go nude for The Real Full Monty?
It was a lot of to-and-fro. I remember when it first came up they couldn’t disclose who else was doing it or who was choreographing it or whether it was going to be done in a tasteful manner or not. I was very dubious to be honest. It (the offer) was intriguing me but it also scared the life out of me and I wasn’t quite sure which way to roll. It took a lot of arm twisting but we got there in the end once we found out a bit more about the charities involved and the reason behind the whole thing. It was a once in a lifetime ‘why not?’
On the night you mentioned that you have long suffered from body-related and other low self-esteem issues. That was a shock to many.
It started at an early age for me. I was very heavy as a kid and it boiled down to my having no self-belief, no self-worth, and no self-trust. My parents would give me good healthy food but I would have rubbish food outside. I had this taste for sugary drinks and it really put me in this bad spell. I would be asked by my mates, ‘Do you want to come and play football’ and I felt really uncomfortable playing because of my weight. I didn’t feel secure in myself at all.
Was there a particular low point?
I remember asking a girl to dance with me at a school disco and she looked me up and down and laughed in my face. That was a real low point in my life. I vowed I would never do it again. It had a massive effect on my life — what I would do, what I would try, what I would accomplish in life. It made me feel like I couldn’t do anything.
Have you managed to turn things around?
Around the age of 14 I lost a lot of weight and I grew over a foot in a year, but the memories and thoughts were still there. I was never comfortable with my body the way it was. Even up to a few years ago I wouldn’t walk around without a shirt on at the beach. As time has progressed, I have battled these demons — and don’t get me wrong, they are still there, they haven’t gone, but I can control them a bit more now. It never leaves you. It is how you manage it, I think.
You’ve been stereotyped as a model but Aussie TV viewers got to know more about you thanks to I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! They’ll see another side to you on The Real Full Monty.
I’m glad it has had that effect. I have been judged a lot of my life — the good looking guy that doesn’t know much and doesn’t do much and is probably stuck up his own a---. I couldn’t be further from that. I don’t take myself seriously. I like to laugh and joke a lot. Maybe the joking has disguised a lot of things over the years. The reason for going on I’m A Celebrity was to show there is more to me than the guy that you see in a catalogue or the races. I wanted to show my personality and my sense of humour.
What were rehearsals like for The Real Full Monty?
I remember turning up on the first day thinking, ‘What the f--- am I doing?’ But then I saw Brian Taylor and a couple of the other guys and thought, ‘We’re all in the same boat here’ and the more the days went on the more comfortable I got. It felt OK because we kept reminding one another of why we’re here — the message (about men’s health) we’re getting across.
How did Sarah feel about you getting your kit off?
I had a lot of family around me (on the night). My girlfriend was in the front row with her friends. They apparently looked away when everything was revealed. She was very supportive and understood what was happening and said, “Good on you, babe, well done, I’m so proud of you’ and then she wanted me to bring the outfit home. I got her thumbs up.
What was it like on the night?
It was one of those releases of adrenaline and really fun. It was a time I could take my clothes off and not get arrested for it. It felt really good. It all went in the blink of an eye. All the unveiling at the end — you stood there with your arms in the air totally exposed — but the atmosphere made a big difference. One night, one show, that is all we have to do. It went by so quickly that I would have done it again the next night.
THE REAL FULL MONTY, CHANNEL 7, SUNDAY 7.30PM
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