Author, businesswoman, and mum-of-seven, Constance Hall, 35, has been showing us her fine moves on Channel 10’s Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) in the last couple of weeks – and in doing so, she’s also been making a few bold statements.
The mum of Billie-Violet, Arlo-Love, twins Rumi and Snow, and Raja, as well as step-kids Zeyke and Sunny with her husband Denim Cooke, has never been shy about stating her mind about anything, and she’s used her appearance on DWTS in true Hall-style.
In response to backlash about her intended appearance on the show, Hall defiantly posted a viral video to her Facebook page, explaining that the online bullying simply served as her motivation to succeed on the show, and demonstrated that no one should be intimidated by bullies.
And then last week, on Thursday, Hall made another statement that is perhaps not so obvious, but is equally important.
LISTEN: Constance Hall sits down with Mia Freedman. Post continues after.
On Instagram, Hall posted a thank you to her husband for permitting her the space to participate in such a time-intensive show such as DWTS. The photo of Cooke proudly watching her, in the audience, featured a love heart drawn around his face.
“You see this face… That’s the face of a man [whose] wife is kicking arse, having her moment,” Hall began.
“The face of a man [whose] wife has been dancing in another man’s arms for weeks, a man who’s so confident with who he is that he wouldn’t even consider jealousy or holding her back.”
Hall added that Cooke has encouraged her to follow her heart, committing hours to practice, “even if it leaves him holding the baby for some f*cking long days”.
The post concluded that her husband’s constant support has allowed her “to shine as brightly as she can,” and that he, in return, shines “brightly”, too.
Hall signed off with, “I backed a winner with you.”
The post was not simply a romantic tribute from wife to husband – it was also the ultimate testament to a healthy relationship because it shows what a truly healthy, balanced, and respectful relationship looks like. And that it is possible for such a relationship to exist.
Which is exactly what Hall tells Mamamia that she intended to highlight.
“I wrote it because it’s unusual for a man to be as comfortable, and not jealous, as Denim is,” she says, adding that it’s not easy for everyone to watch their partners with someone else on the show.
“It’s really intimate when you dance with someone,” Hall further explains. “They’re always telling you to get closer and get sexier.”
Ultimately, she says, it “comes down to loyalty”.
“Denim is just so loyal. He’s behind-the-scenes, supporting me. The dancers get all the attention, but he doesn’t ever go ‘what about me?'”
Hall acknowledges the post also demonstrates that relationships, including marriages, can recover from difficult times, if both parties want it to.
“If you have that knowledge that everything is OK at home, you can be yourself and your best self,” she says.
Hall has been open in the past about the challenges she and Cooke have faced, especially after the birth of Raja in May 2018. Since that time, Hall has revealed the couple has struggled at times to achieve equality at home.
“When I need to leave the house without the baby I must book it in: ‘darling I’m going to the shops, you have Raja, I’ll be 20 mins’,” she wrote on Instagram last July.
“Nobody reminds me that I have my baby when they leave.”
In December, she also admitted, “The truth is that having a baby has pushed my relationship to the absolute edge… What I can’t handle is the unjust, unfair living arrangements that so commonly follow the birth of a baby.”
Fast forward just a few months, Hall’s current testament to her husband is proof that relationships can change.
“It’s important to call people out on sh*tty behaviour,” she says. “But we also need to recognise the great stuff and celebrate it.”
What do you think of Constance Hall’s shout out to her husband Denim Cooke? Tell us in the comments below.
Top Comments
To be fair, the man doesn't have a job, so it's a bit much to be throwing him a ticker-tape parade for simply parenting and being a supportive partner to the breadwinning member of the family. Heck, plenty of SAHMs don't get any praise or recognition for doing exactly the same thing.
Well said!
Exactly! He's got nothing better to do.
Indeed, I'd actually argue that he's doing what would be reasonably described as bare minimum in a relationship, whilst not having contributed much personal or professional sacrifice at all. It's not a feminist move to reward or call out a man as being "exceptional" for simply being nice to you, or for barely lifting a finger at all.