Eric Roberts is a busy man. He’s stepped into the weekend presenter role on Ireland AM, he and his wife are building a house in Donegal and they recently celebrated their son, Rían’s first birthday.
Now, Eric has added Dancing with the Stars to the juggling act. But he knows that these opportunities are once in a lifetime and he won’t be passing them up.
Speaking to VIP Magazine, he shares: “I knew coming into this that it was such a huge time commitment, but I can’t complain at all. My wife is twice as busy as I am. She’s taking the brunt of it with our one-year-old son, so I’m getting to go off and really enjoy rehearsals and heading off at the weekends.
“She’s a home raising our son, and so I cannot complain at all about being busy when she’s doing all that. I’m very, very grateful to have such an amazing support system.”
He smiles before adding: “That being said, it is a huge workload. It’s a huge undertaking, but again, it’s one that I absolutely adore.”
Of course, he was a huge fan of the show for years. However, he never dreamed that he would be donning the sequin and sashaying across the dancefloor.
“I never dreamed it to be a possibility until a couple of years ago. I left my job as a special needs assistant five years ago. I watched the show but I wasn’t in the industry, so in the last couple years, when I had gained a bit of notoriety and saw the likes of Kayleigh [Trappe] on it I thought it could be a possibility!”
He shares that he received plenty of advice from his pals who were on the show before.
“I spoke to everyone that I know in the industry, and I’m obviously very close to Kayleigh. We’ve worked together so many times and travelled together. She was one of the first people that I spoke to about it,” he tells us.
“She spoke so highly because she said it was one of the most amazing experiences she’s ever had, and she didn’t know what to do with herself. Afterwards, I spoke to Danny [O’Carroll], who competed last year as well, and he said the same thing.”
He admits: “Elaine [Crowley] was probably the other end, and she wasn’t as happy and as positive about it. When I’m going into work, she’s so invested and asks me what dance is week to week. She’s constantly texting me about tips to look after the body and Epsom salts, and she’s offered me muscle guns because she kind of knows what I’m going through as well.
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“It was nice speaking to everyone! I reached out to everyone, Carl Mullan and Miriam Mullins.”
Despite his excitement, his main priority is his family.
“I’m trying to spend as much time with my son Rían, so I go to work and Dancing with the Stars.”
Dancing with the Stars airs Sundays at 6:30pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player
