Recognise Chad? Reality star's X-rated former life in Perth
The TV star — who runs an Orthopaedic surgery in Melbourne — has been navigating the show's drama-infested waters as he attempts to forge a romantic relationship with his new wife, Georgia.
But thirty years before flexing his pecs on screen, the confident 47-year-old worked as a stripper at Northbridge's James St Nightclub while studying nursing at Curtin University. Georgia and Chad. Credit: Supplied
On Tuesday night, Chad was forced to face his colourful past when a photo album featuring his days as a 'male stripper' was presented to Georgia.
WATCH RECAP
While it came as a shock to his amused wife, the signs were there from the beginning, with the dancing doctor regularly breaking out into a series of unprompted hip thrusts. One of Chad's outfits as a stripper in Perth. Credit: Seven Network
He told PerthNow that he fell into the profession accidentally at just 18 years of age.
During a night out with rugby mates, he was urged to get his kit off on stage in a bid to win a $100 bar card.
His impressive performance won him free drinks for the evening, and caught the eye of the club's owner, who offered him a regular gig as a 'G-string waiter'. Chad and Georgia nurture their relationship on the series. Credit: Seven Network
'I went back to uni on the Monday and told my uni student study classes, 'This is what happened to me. Do you think I should do it?' And they went, 'No, don't Chad, don't be a stripper!' he said.
Somewhat surprisingly, Chad's mother was much more open to his new vocation and even helped him craft creative outfits to wear for each show.
'My mum and I would go on an adventure, go to the store and pick out materials and patterns, and then we would sew these costumes together,' he added.
'She was very supportive in that sense, and I did it more so for the showman outlet and in terms of entertainment.' Chad revealed a part of his former self to wife Georgia. Credit: Seven Network
Following his studies, the performer relocated to Melbourne to be closer to his mother, and his sister, who was born with special needs when he was 11.
However, leaning further into his charm and physique, the eligible bachelor soon landed a spot on the romantic 2004 reality series Playing it Straight.
Shifting focus to his career as an arthroplasty expert in the years since, the unlucky-in-love single has found his way back to TV in search of love again. Georgie and Chad get cosier. Credit: Heath McKinley
However, he says his island-bound experience alongside wife Georgia has been far from glamorous.
'You're spending every day together, not only spending every day, but you're stressed, in the sense that you're literally without any of your creature comforts,' he said.
'So when she's having a bad hair day, we never had a mirror. We didn't know what each other looked like, so all that stuff you're navigating through, I feel like that was a powerful answer to the emotions.'
To keep up with Chad and Georgia's island romance, watch Stranded on Honeymoon Island on Tuesday, July 22 on 7 and 7plus.
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