Dancing with the Stars dad bod's number nearly up

Simon Barnett credits Vanessa Cole as the reason for the pair's success on Dancing With the Stars.

Ladies ... enjoy dancing sensation Simon Barnett's "hot dad bod" while you can.

Barnett's fancy footwork, humility, spray tan and new-found abs have seen the 48-year-old become a fan favourite on TV3 ratings hit, Dancing With the Stars. He is also the last male celebrity on the show.

Barnett has lost "6kg and counting" while dancing his way into tonight's semifinal.

But as he and dance partner Vanessa Cole prepare for the top-four showdown, the broadcaster has revealed his chiselled look might not last too long after the show's finale.

"If I am completely candid, I'm a big believer in enjoying life," Barnett told the Herald on Sunday.

"If it meant I couldn't enjoy having a few burgers or blueberry muffins, then no! I do enjoy being relatively healthy, but you have to live as well."

He said weight loss had been inevitable, given the physical demands of the show. In the build-up to the semifinal, Barnett and Cole had been rehearsing eight hours a day.

"When you are on your feet all day and moving you just cannot keep weight on. Most real dancers, unlike me, have highly efficient bodies that are almost robotic."

And being the subject of debate over whether he had one of New Zealand's best dad bods had taken some getting used to.

"I am flattered of course and I would much prefer that than people saying, 'Who ate all the pies?'," Barnett said.

"But it does seem a little surreal. My family think it's hysterical."

The fake tan and some of the figure-revealing costumes will be retired post-show.

"I was aghast when they suggested spray tans and paper G-strings, but they have become quite the regular routine," he said. "I am not looking forward to going back to looking like whitebait!"

As Barnett prepares to try and shimmy his way into the final, he paid tribute to the six leading ladies in his life; wife Jodi, their four daughters - Sam, 21, Sophie, 20, Isabella, 16, and Lily, 15 - and Cole.

"Jodi has been the most incredible support. I just could not have done this without her.

"As for my children, they keep constantly telling me how proud they are - apart from the costumes."

And while Barnett's dance moves and dad bod have become the talk of the nation, he said the true hero was Cole.

"She is patient and long-suffering. I honestly believe that the result is 90 per cent due to Vanessa and 10 per cent me."

Barnett said his proudest achievement had been raising funds for the pair's charity, the Salvation Army.

"I really want people to know I don't take their support lightly. It means the world to us and our charity," he said.

Barnett and Cole are up against Chrystal Chenery and Jonny Williams, Siobhan Marshall and Charlie Billington, and Jay-Jay Harvey and Enrique Johns for a spot in next Sunday's grand final.