He captained the Richmond Tigers to three premierships and won a Brownlow Medal – so surely AFL great Trent Cotchin must be a shoe-in to take home the Dancing with the Stars Mirrorball Trophy, right?
“I don’t know about that,” says Trent, with a hearty laugh.
“Any form of dancing is so far out of my comfort zone, I’m not even sure where I am right now!”
New Idea is catching up with Trent, 35, at his light-filled Melbourne home for an exclusive photo shoot and interview.
Joining him are wife Brooke Cotchin, and their three gorgeous kids: daughters Harper, 11, and Mackenzie, nine, and son Parker, who turns six this week.
Why did Trent Cotchin go on Dancing with the Stars?
Trent’s kids are the number-one reason why he’s competing on DWTS.
“It did take me a little while to say yes to doing this,” he admits.
“But after discussing it with Brooke, I realised that, as parents, we’re always trying to encourage our kids to do things that they might find hard.
And that vulnerability is something I try to lean into, especially since I retired from footy. So here I am.”
Trent has been partnered with ballroom dancer Jessica Raffa on DWTS.
“She has been amazing,” he says. “She’s so supportive – and talented!”
Prior to agreeing to take part, Trent reached out to fellow AFL star Ben Cousins, who competed on DWTS in 2024.
“Benny absolutely loved his time on the show,” Trent says.
“So much so, he’s still dancing a couple of times a week to this day. He fell in love with it so he told me to go for it. I don’t know if I’ve fallen in love with dance, so to speak, but I’m learning a lot about myself.”
Out of his comfort zone
One of the biggest takeaway lessons for Trent so far is that he’s “realised I’m really comfortable with following instructions and being competent at a physical challenge, but I tend to pull back if I’m asked to be someone I’m not, or act at all.”
To elaborate, Trent explains: “Being creative and acting on the dance floor doesn’t come naturally to me.
“I found doing my first dance, the tango, incredibly challenging because you have to become a character. I wasn’t used to that at all. I also felt uncomfortable dancing with a woman who’s not my wife.”
What’s Trent Cotchin doing now?
Trent retired from the AFL at the end of the 2023 season, after 306 games.
Since then, he promised himself that, in order to find a life outside of professional sport, he would embrace new challenges.
“I was always someone who knew that sport was never going to be a forever thing,” Trent explains.
“I already had interests outside of footy – Brooke and I have a Pilates studio, and I do some corporate speaking, plus I do some mentorship work with the leadership teams at the [AFL’s] Brisbane Lions and [NRL’s] Melbourne Storm.
“But I also knew I had to try new things while figuring out what the next part of my life looks like. That’s another reason why I’m dancing now.”
Trent adds he’s relishing the physical training element of the competition, and loved becoming mates with Shaun Micallef, who rehearsed in the studio next door to him.
Family comes first
Being away from Brooke and the kids while training and filming in Sydney was hard.
“Brooke was a little surprised when I agreed to do this, but she’s been my greatest supporter – as well as the kids – throughout. I couldn’t do this without her.”
Brooke and the kids travelled to Sydney to watch Trent dance on several occasions – even surprising him with a visit he wasn’t expecting on one occasion!
“I’m just glad that time I actually did OK and didn’t completely embarrass myself,” he says.
While he’s been subjected to some harsh feedback from the judges, Trent doesn’t mind at all.
“Craig [Revel Horwood] doesn’t hold back, but I appreciate his honesty,” Trent says.
“So far, I’m just glad to have made it as far as I have in the competition. I honestly don’t see myself winning the trophy, but I feel like a winner already for making it this far!”
