This week we saw Erica Cody reunited with her pro-dancer partner, Denys Samson after he was forced to pull out of the previous show due to testing positive for Covid-19. The pair danced an Italian themed cha-cha-cha to ‘Mambo Italiano’ which scored them top marks from the judges, with 10’s all round!
Commenting on their fantastic performance Brian said; “Denys, it’s great to have you back! Great rythm, great action. By far the best cha-cha we have seen this year” and Arthur added; “Another spellbinding, memorable performance.”
Sharing her excitement at making it this far Erica shared; “SEMI-FINALS BABY!! & we got our first 30!! Thank you all so much for the support we wouldn’t have made it this far without you all and your votes.”
The singer also added how happy she was to have her partner back after Ervinas Merfeldas filled in for Denys last week; “It’s so good to finally have you back @denys_samson and you came back with a BANG! So proud of you, no matter what challenge comes our way you power through like the true champ you are beaming with joy & gratitude!!”
It’s been a difficult few weeks for Denys, as the Ukrainian dancer has not only been unwell but also revealed how difficult it has been to watch the current conflict in his home country. Denys is from the city of Odessa in Ukraine and shared his heartbreak on the show two weeks ago as we all watched the violence unfold on the news.
Visibly emotional on the show at the time he shared a thank you to everyone for their support which had the audience rising to their feet for him. He said; “Everybody knows what’s going on in Ukraine, my family is there, my best friends. We will stay strong, Ukraine, we will not give up. I want to say a big thank you to Ireland, to Dublin, to Dancing with the Stars, the crew, producers, to everybody for the support this week. I’m so grateful.”
Erica spoke about how proud she was of him as it had been an emotional week; “For those who don’t know, Denys is from Ukraine so it has been extremely difficult for him this week. I take my hat off to him, he’s incredible.”
Speaking with The Irish Sun last week Erica spoke about what a boost it would be for Denys to win; “He had Covid last week so I know he was at home watching the news, so to have him back in the studio being able to practice, so we can talk. That’s a big plus, I feel like we are on the right track week by week.”
Continuing she shared that it would mean a lot to him to take home the glitter ball trophy; “I think that would be the icing on the cake for all the hard work and the journey we have been on.”
“I’m trying keep the spirits high and give him as much love and support as I can as his partner. But I do feel like dancing away is escapism for him and me, just to get away from it all.”
