Mitch Dower: Proving to his children he can take on Dancing With Our Stars

Now he has to put his money where his mouth is, as he spends the next two months raising $10,000 for the Ballarat Foundation as part of Dancing with our Stars 2024.

The Passive Builders owner is paired with Dr Alicia Wang Sheludko, former star turned dancing expert, and will be taking on the rumba.

Probably the last time I had too much to drink and decided to do the robot or something.

There has been no kind of performance ever, it's always just off the cuff. Not what you would really call dancing.

I race motorbikes, which comes with a little bit of gym work, rowing and trying to keep fit.

Mostly motorbikes, I used to like boxing training, but I haven't done that for a couple years there.

The dancing has been a real change and I'm feeling stretches and sore in places that I never had before.

My hips don't move that well, so the whole straight leg, straight back and move your hips thing has been difficult for me to try and get across.

I would say that I was very strongly recommended for this by a friend.

I just sort of rolled with the punches and went with it and wanted to show the kids that you can say yes to stuff, even if it's not what you would usually do.

You try to make fun, put a smile on your face and have a crack anyway.

Not much, to be honest.

It was probably one of the reasons that I said yes to doing it, I really like the fact that the money stays in the community ... because you can actually see it.

There's issues that I've seen firsthand in young people in schools that I know this money goes towards.

It sort of sits right with me knowing that that's what they're supporting.

I have lived here all my life.

My wife and I left and went travelling for nearly two years around the country with a four-wheel-drive and our dogs.

We came back because of family and also because it's just a convenient spot.

Certainly in the last 12 months, it's becoming more mainstream ... to have a bit more of a focus on energy efficiency with the new upgrades that are coming.

We've been doing it for seven or eight years now and it's just our bread and butter and I enjoy it.

If they've got kids, I do like to send them to the Wildlife Park and Sovereign Hill. We take our kids there a lot.

It's different to anything I've ever done.

It's actually fun, I'm enjoying the lessons.

Struggling, but having a lot of fun doing the lessons.

You come out of there not knowing how to walk normally anymore.

But Alicia [Wang Sheludko] and Shelley Ross have been really good [teachers].

Absolutely, she's been really supportive.

Even when I know I'm not the best dancer she's been really helpful and it makes you feel confident, like you're doing a good job.