Nice, different, unusual: How a character from iconic Australian TV series Kath and Kim is playing a major role in facilitating global diplomacy
- John Denton is the International Chamber of Commerce secretary general
- His wife Jane Turner is best known as Kath Day-Knight from Kath and Kim
- Mr Denton said political leaders have told him how much they love the show
Australian’s first head of the International Chamber of Commerce has opened up about how a secret weapon has helped him win over world business leaders.
Former diplomat and lawyer John Denton moved to Paris with wife Jane Turner for the prestigious role as the ICC secretary general 18 months ago.
He has long credited his better half as being more valuable to his high-flying career than he has been to hers in showbusiness.
His Logie-winning actress and comedian wife is best known as Kath Day-Knight from Australian iconic television series Kath and Kim.
Mr Denton admits his claim of fame to the show has helped break the ice and and opened doors with some of the world’s biggest movers and shakers in politics and business.
He recalled how one senior political leader was unable to hide his delight of meeting him during a business trip in Brazil and has had similar encounters in the US, Europe and Asia.
International Chamber of Commerce Secretary General John Denton says his close connection to Kath Day-Knight (pictured), the much-loved chardonnay-loving foxy moron from Australian iconic television series Kath and Kim.
John Denton is pictured with Jane Coombs, the New Zealand Ambassador to France
‘It’s absolutely crazy how many people I meet who know and love the show. Jane actually is the face of Australia to many people,’ Mr Denton told Sydney Morning Herald.
Debuting on the ABC in 2002, Kath and Kim remains one of Australia’s most popular show loved by millions of fans worldwide.
The first episode of the fourth and final season on Channel Seven in 2007 attracted a national audience 2.521 million, the highest rating ever first episode in Australian television history until Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities aired two years later.
Mr Denton has previously spoken about how Kath and Kim has given him instant credibility with strangers in some of the world’s biggest cities, including New York, London, Rome and Beijing.
‘If they know one thing about Australia, over and above the classic flora and fauna, they’ve seen or heard of Kath and Kim,’ he told the Australian Financial Review in 2016.
‘They’re bowled away that I’m married to Kath; I’m an instant handbag celebrity, so it’s really helped my career.
‘What was confronting was the speed at which the character took over the vernacular of Australia. Kath is kind of like this everywoman: a mother and entrepreneur.’
He and Ms Turner met as teenagers and have three adult children.
In the 1980s, she put career aspiration on hold for her diplomat posted to Moscow
Their holiday home on the NSW south coast on New Year’s Eve
Mr Denton has previously spoken about how Kath and Kim (actresses Gina Riley and Jane Turner pictured in character) has given him instant credibility with strangers in some of the world’s biggest cities