Photo: SUPPLIED / Odd Andersen
ACT Party leader and former Dancing with the Stars contestant David Seymour has revealed he is a "massive fan" of Australian breakdancer Rachael 'Raygun' Gunn.
The Olympic athlete went viral around the world for her performance at the Paris Games last month when she failed to get a single point.
She faced backlash she described as "devastating".
"I really appreciate the positivity, and I'm glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives. That's what I hoped," Raygun said in an Instagram post.
"I didn't realise that that would also open the door to so much hate which has, frankly, been pretty devastating."
But she has the support of Seymour who told RNZ he admired her courage.
Australia's Rachael Gunn, known as Raygun, competes in the women's breaking dance at the Paris Olympics. Photo: Odd Andersen/AFP
"Look, I'm a massive fan of Raygun, she's got the courage to be herself and I think it's actually a bit of a social commentary that we're so quick, or at least some people, are so quick to rip people down for being different and giving it a go.
"I'm a secret admirer of Raygun and her dancing style, she's a dancer after my own heart.
"But I would say to her when it comes to being the best in the world, I think she's already her own best. I don't know if she will be the best in the world, people ask me 'have I carried on dancing?' I say 'mate, I never started'. Sometimes you do need to know your limits from a competitive point-of-view but from a self-expression point-of-view, I'm right behind her."
Seymour brought the art of twerking back when he appeared on the New Zealand version of Dancing with the Stars in 2018.
According to Newshub, Seymour came in at the bottom of the scoreboard every week.
But the Kiwi public continued to vote for him and keep him in the competition.
By the time it got to the semi-final, Seymour landed in the bottom two and was ousted from the competition.