Camilla's healing homecoming ‘MY SPECIAL KIWI CONNECTION'

The DWTS judge is so comfortable on our shores, she’s thrown away her tight jeans and inhibitions!

- Fleur Guthrie

On a blustery Auckland day, Dancing with the Stars NZ judge Camilla SacreDallerup bursts into the lobby of her rented accommodation, carrying an armful of roses and apologising for her appearance.

Of course, she doesn’t need to. Wearing a sweatshirt printed with the word “Happy” over a picture of a rainbow, she’s just made a mad dash in the rain to buy flowers for our photoshoot.

As she settles on the couch with a pastry and discovers a new-found hole in her sock, she says if she’s learnt anything from the pandemic, it’s to let go of perfectionism.

“I’ve never owned so many sweat pants in my life,” smiles the 48-year-old. “Anything that’s too tight is a no go. All my unstretchy jeans have gone to the charity shop.

“I’m glad we have a world now where people are starting to show themselves in a less-than-perfect sweaty light. I mean, who cares? Beauty is an inside job anyway.”

In the three years since Los Angeles-based Camilla has sparkled on our screens as Head Judge, the former ballroom champion had gone through some other personal changes in her life.

She’s become a US citizen and following her stint on the 2019 DWTS season, her father Benni passed away in Denmark after illness.

“I knew towards the end of the show that he was not good,” she shares. “But we were still hopeful. I left New Zealand in June and unfortunately he passed a few weeks later. It was really tough on my mum. She lost her husband of 50 years and then the world went into lockdown.