This week, I was incredibly honoured to be named as one of DNA’s Sexiest Men Alive for 2026. It’s still a little surreal because I distinctly remember buying last year’s issue and flicking through the pages, genuinely in awe of the guys featured. I certainly didn’t imagine that a year later I’d not only have had my own DNA cover, but would be seeing myself in this year’s issue alongside such an incredible group of 25 men from around the world.

So I thought I’d share a little of the story behind the photos, because there was quite a bit more to creating them than you might imagine.

I actually first met photographer Jonathan Tether back in 2018 when I was living in Melbourne. By complete coincidence, we lived in the same building, and when we first met I didn’t actually know he was a photographer. Once I discovered his work, though, I was blown away by it and secretly always hoped that one day I might get the chance to shoot with him. Fast-forward eight years and, to my delight, earlier this year he agreed.

We scheduled the shoot for the day after my birthday while I was back in Melbourne for some family events. It also happened to be Good Friday and, in true Melbourne fashion, it was cold. Very cold. We were shooting outdoors, so the reality behind those finished photos was considerably less glamorous than they might suggest.

There had already been about three months of solid training and cutting in preparation for the shoot. That included a trip to the US, where staying on track meant travelling with a fairly ridiculous supply of beef biltong and protein bars, finding gyms everywhere I went and being pretty disciplined about what I ate. Even my birthday involved some sacrifice. With the shoot the following morning, there wasn't exactly a big birthday blowout on the cards.

By Good Friday, the preparation was done. I was completely shaved, fake-tanned and had been to the gym beforehand for a final pump before heading out into the Melbourne cold to shoot. There’s always a point after months of preparation where you wonder whether all that work is actually going to translate in front of the camera, but when I first saw the finished images, I was genuinely blown away.

It was probably the best example I’ve seen of how everything has to come together to create a photograph like this. You can do months of training and get yourself into the best condition possible, but then you add the right setting, light, grooming and a seriously talented photographer who knows how to capture it, and suddenly everything pops in a way you couldn't quite imagine beforehand.

Those photos went on to become my DNA cover earlier this year, which was already an incredible moment. Seeing them now in the pages of the very issue I remember buying and admiring just a year ago makes the whole thing feel even more special. There’s a lot of work behind a photograph that nobody ever sees, and looking at these ones now brings all of it back.

I’m really bloody proud of this one, and incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make it happen.

The team behind the shoot

Photography: Tetherphoto
Training & conditioning: @glenryanpt
Grooming: @machopapibarber
Massage & recovery: Lee at Crown Remedial Massage & Wellness