"Everybody in their heart wants to try something with their hands," says Riaan Garforth-Venter. As Die Nutsman he should know. Now best known as that DIY guy on TV, he's spent his life using his hands — from highschool woodwork teacher to restaurateur to set designer.

We speak to him about helping people who're all thumbs, cooking, his celebrity marriage to Michelle Garforth, those gay rumours, and, of course, 'Strictly Come Dancing'.

You started out as a high school woodwork teacher?

Everything in life's got a reason — I think the reason was to learn to work with my hands and also to work with people and to teach people. I think the biggest thing you need to know is how to convey something over to someone else so that they understand it.

So if I think back to it, yes, that was necessary in my life but I'll never got back, because I enjoy what I do now. I'm actually still teaching the nation, that's what I'm doing.

Have you always been a handy guy?

Nobody knows what they want to do in Matric so I went to the professor and he said I had to do either architecture, forestry or woodwork teacher. I got a bursary for woodwork teacher so that's how I got into that. I would love to be an architect though.

On the question of being a handyman, I've always been working with my hands. I remember when I was young, five maybe six years old, I used to build garages for my little Matchbox cars and roads and everything, so I was always building and fixing stuff.

You've also owned two restaurants. Is cooking something else that interests you?

I love cooking. I will never have a restaurant again — it's hectic, I think it's one of the hardest jobs to do because you never get time to sleep. But I still cook. My wife and I cook every night and that's our time together — we spend time having a glass of wine and cooking nice food.

So how did you go from restaurants to set design?

I actually started with magazine sets about 15 years ago when the KKNK arts festival started in Oudtshoorn. After my restaurant I started doing set building for TV commercials because at that time all these overseas countries used Cape Town for adverts. So that's how I got into this whole TV industry thing

And then one day a friend phoned me and said: 'They want to do something for Kyknet and they need a handyman. Couldn't you do a screen test?' And that’s how it all started — I built a little table for them in my garage with my friend shooting it on his camera.

Was it difficult to step out in front of the camera?

It wasn’t that difficult because when I was at university I also did a lot of stage work. I did some drama classes, I also did reviews where I sang so I was always used to people, and at the end of the day the camera is just another person if you think about it that way. So it wasn't that difficult. It is difficult with the eye contact because you have to look straight into it, but it was never difficult to change from person to camera. It's lovely.

But I have to tell you I also enjoy being behind the camera.

How involved are you behind the camera?

Lots. I've got my own production house so I do all my productions myself, and also with Michelle we do all the 'Wild Ltd' shows. I do underwater camerawork for her and second camera sometimes to keep me busy, because what we try to do is to be with each other always, but both being busy in the TV industry we'd never see each other. So when I do my DIY she stays with me and directs and that, and when she goes out into the field then I go in and do the logistics and sometimes also shoot.

I've got other shows coming up that I'm also going to produce. That's where I'm going. You know, you're getting old, you're not always going to be on camera, people are going to get fed up with your face and all of that so you've got to have something else to go to.

At the moment you're still very popular, though. Why do you think 'Die Nutsman' really took off?

I think it's the way of presenting — I'm very laidback, I am who I am, and my hands get dirty: I show people exactly what to do. On a lot of DIY shows they just show the before and after shots. They don't show how you get from the one to the other. I think with my way, everybody thinks they can do it after they've watched my show. It gives them that sense of 'I can also build a cupboard', 'I can also paint this wall'.

And now you're a celebrity married to another celebrity. How has that affected your life?

If you live a good life, I don't mind — I think some people can handle being a celebrity. Actually I don't like to use the word 'celebrity' because I just feel I'm Riaan and 'celebrity' has more status, but I know I am one.

Privacy is sometimes very difficult — when I want to go to a movie, when I want to go to a mall, then it's always people watching you. You can't just put a hotdog in your mouth and eat it. So sometimes its difficult.

But I enjoy it. It's also a thank you from the public to say: 'We like your show.' You know, if people don't like you they won't chat to you.

The attention, especially from the media, hasn't always been positive. Is that difficult to deal with?

It's very difficult to deal with. I remember with Huisgenoot and You when they said: 'You're gay'. And it's a big thing. We've got so many gay friends and the gay community has fought hard to achieve so much in the last 20 years, but then people will still say: 'The dark secrets of the Nutsman: he's gay'. Why is it a dark secret? And why is it bad to be gay in this country? And that's very bad.

I lost a job from a big sponsor — they said they couldn't use me anymore because I'm gay. And it's difficult. At the end of the day you keep quiet, I do my thing and I show them that they were wrong. Everybody's got a life and everybody's got a personal life as well.

I can't let you go without asking about 'Strictly Come Dancing'. You're more like a rugby player than a dancer…

I think everybody thought that and that's why it made such a big impact: it was three years ago and every day I still hear someone say: 'That’s the guy who won 'Strictly Come Dancing'. I think the big thing is this: real rugby looking guy, this DIY guy who can't dance, I think it took the country by surprise that this man can actually dance as well.

It was an absolutely unbelievable experience. I won't change it for anything. And if they ask me to do it tomorrow morning I'll start tomorrow morning again.

Do you still dance?

Michelle was the runner-up in another series of 'Strictly Come Dancing'. The time isn't always there but we try to dance. We've had some classes with her teacher, we've done the Viennese waltz and we've also started with the cha-cha so we're trying to dance. And we dance at home with each other and at parties.

So we're still dancing — we've got the shoes and everything.