STEP DAVE STAR'S PASSION FOR FASHION!

A chance meeting catapulted Jono Kenyon into a luxury clothing line

- Florence Hartigan.

Jono Kenyon is a familiar face on Kiwi screens after starring in TV's Step Dave, but his latest role is his most unexpected yet the actor is now making moves in the fashion world as the creative director of luxury brand Boudicca Italy.

"I like to keep people around me guessing as to my next moves - it keeps things interesting!" laughs the 33-year-old.

Jono, who also starred in 800 Words and My Life Is Murder, moved back to Auckland in 2020 after six years off and on in Los Angeles, where he starred in a pilot written by Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rimes and rubbed shoulders with the likes of pop star Adam Lambert.

"He's a lovely guy," recalls Jono. "LA is such an eclectic mix of people. Any time you go anywhere or do anything, you meet the most extraordinary characters!"

A particularly fascinating character Jono came across just happens to be his partner of five years, Ashley Tabor.

"I would like to tell a romantic fairytale, but we just met at a bar!" grins the actor. "She was quiet, thoughtful... and very pretty. She had a mystique about her - I wanted to get to know her more.

"In 2020, I came back to New Zealand for a couple of weeks, to see family, then the lockdowns happened," he tells.

"I decided to take that as a sign and stayed, so Ashley and I were apart for a year, before she got her partner visa and finally made it over.