I don’t mind making an arse of myself, says Lisa McCune

Just as she had done in every previous live performance of The Sound of Music, Lisa McCune – playing the lead role of Maria – came skipping down a picturesque mountain before jumping a fence to proclaim: “The hills are alive with the sound of music!”

Except this time, McCune crash-landed with a thump so loud, the audience gasped. Ever the professional, she peeled herself off the floor and dashed to the front of the stage just in time to belt out the opening number.

“The audience gave me a huge clap for that,” says McCune, who is competing in the new season of Seven’s Dancing with the Stars, hosted by Chris Brown and Sonia Kruger. “I don’t mind making an arse of myself every now and then. I think it’s the comedian in me.”

Popular Australian performer Lisa McCune, under the tutelage of dance partner Ian Waite, is competing in the current season of Dancing with the Stars.Credit: Nicholas Wilson

When invited to appear in an earlier season of the popular talent show, McCune politely declined on account of her professional background: she studied music theatre at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and starred in several major productions including Cabaret, South Pacific and The King and I.

This time, McCune’s manager encouraged her to accept, noting that her dance training didn’t include ballroom.

“She said, ‘Oh, it’s very different’ and she couldn’t be more right,” says McCune, who became a household name while starring in the top-rating Blue Heelers. “Because of COVID, I hadn’t put on a pair of heels since 2020 and I hadn’t used my body that way in a couple of years, so it was really hard.”

“As a middle-aged female, I didn’t want to be poring over a hot 20-year-old dancer.”

Lisa McCune

Inevitably, McCune took a couple of falls: practically a rite of passage for DWTS contestants. If these scenes make it to air, she won’t be fussed. But according to one gossip website, McCune became “super competitive” during filming.

“She wants to win this really bad,” an anonymous producer supposedly said. “She wants that mirror ball trophy and friends are saying what Lisa wants, she normally gets. Channel Seven executives were surprised by how competitive she was.”

Yet one crew member tells me these claims are a “a load of old tosh … Lisa is as lovely and professional as everyone [in the industry] said she’d be”.

When I relate the content of the gossip article to McCune, she bursts out laughing.

DANCING WITH THE STARS 2O24: THE CONTESTANTS

• Adam Dovile – Better Homes and Gardens DIY presenter
• Ant Middleton – SAS Australia chief instructor
• Ben Cousins – AFL legend and Seven News sport presenter
• Hayden Quinn – Chef
• James Stewart – Home and Away actor
• Julie Goodwin – Chef
• Lisa McCune – Actor
• Nadia Bartel – Fashion designer and model
• Nikki Osborne – Comedian
• Nova Peris – Olympian and former senator
• Samantha Jade – Singer
• Shane Crawford – AFL royalty

“I know this sounds really daggy but I’ve had my fair share of wins in life,” she says. “Professionally, I’ve had incredible things happen to me and I’ve also got three gorgeous children – there’s not a lot more that I desire.”

Nevertheless, McCune has her eye on the prize for two important reasons.

One is her dance partner, British dancer and choreographer Ian Waite, who has appeared in several seasons of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing and last year’s season of Australia’s DWTS .

“I worked hard for us as a team, not just for Lisa McCune,” she says. “I honestly spent a lot of extra time on my own [practising] because you only get one shot and if you f--- it up, pardon my language, you can’t do it again. I didn’t want to embarrass him.”

McCune pulls an impressive move with dance partner Waite.Credit: Nicholas Wilson

Waite stands head and shoulders above McCune, requiring her to wear the highest of high heels. Both were born in 1971; McCune is exactly three weeks younger.

“As a middle-aged female, I didn’t want to be poring over a hot 20-year-old dancer,” she explains. “I wanted someone of my vintage who grew up listening to Wham! and I couldn’t have asked for a better partner.”

The second reason is more personal because of the two children’s charities she is supporting.

The first is The Robert Connor Dawes Foundation, founded by her friend, Liz Dawes. In 2013, Liz’s son Connor, as everyone called him, died at 18 after a 16-month battle with brain cancer. The foundation supports paediatric brain tumour patients and helps fund essential research.

The second is the Harrison Riedel Foundation, started by Harrison’s mother, Amanda Riedel, after he took his own life at 13. It harnesses teens’ use of technology to get them the help they need when mental health issues arise.

“I want to bring attention to what these two amazing women are doing for young people in our community,” McCune says.

After DWTS, McCune will focus on Broadstory, the production company she founded with director and editor Fiona Banks. Earlier this year, they were joined by screenwriter and showrunner Greg Haddrick. Broadstory has various projects in development, from TV dramas and comedies to a family-friendly film, but it’s too soon to announce the details.

“We need to keep Australian stories intact; we can’t just let audiences slip away and watch [only] American shows,” McCune says. “I hope this is the beginning of something wonderful.”

WHAT Dancing with the Stars
WHEN 7pm Sundays on Seven

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