Dancing hero Dave Letele 'I COULDN'T DO THIS ALONE'

The dedicated community leader reveals how his family keeps him strong after struggles with mental and physical health

- Hayley McLarin

After losing custody of his sons, it was Dave's mission to get his boys back - and he did with Koreen's help.

Their wedding song was much like his boxing career - brief. David Letele, aka Brown Buttabean, was dreading all eyes being on him when he had his first dance with wife Koreen. He's thankful their boy Fabian cut in only a few bars into Al Green's Let's Stay Together.

But now the Kiwibank Local Hero of the Year and Today FM host is taking to the dancefloor in front of more than a million Kiwis on Dancing With The Stars NZ - and this time, he can't be saved by his son!

"It's a common misconception that people in the boxing game have good footwork," the 42-year-old tells Woman's Day during our photoshoot at his West Auckland home. “They think I should be a good dancer, but I wasn't even a good boxer - I just worked really hard! I've never been a dancer. If forced to, I'd do the robot!"

Dave is now rehearsing between 15 and 18 hours a week with his dance partner Kristie Williams.

“It's full-on," says the dad-of-four. “Everything I do is for my family, but what I'm doing at the moment is taking me away from my family. I'm lucky I have Koreen, but we don't have any time for each other."

Dave's new moves are a hit with Koreen!

Fighting against both poverty and obesity, Dave is a social entrepreneur and the leader of the large-scale bootcamp programme Buttabean Motivation (BBM), which has two gyms in Auckland, with another opening in Tokoroa soon.

Inspired by Dave's 90kg weight loss, BBM provides a lifeline for severely overweight people wanting to turn their lives around. He also runs an Auckland community kitchen for impoverished families.