Rhys McClenaghan has been dancing up a storm on Dancing with the Stars.
And with only three weeks left the idea of lifting that Glitterball Trophy is more and more achievable.
But Rhys promises VIP Magazine that he isn’t dreaming of winning, instead he’s taking it “Week by week”.
“But there are only three weeks left. The time flies, but it’s easier to focus on the dance you’re doing that week, then you have to move onto the next one. So my mind is occupied with that. I just want to give it my all every week, whether that comes at the finals or not. I just want to do my best,” he tells us.
He’s basically double jobbing, training half the day for dance and the other half for gymnastics.
“I’m tired because I’ve been training on top of this. So I’ve never had a full day off, with the dancing and gymnastics,” he admits with a laugh.
“I would see the Sunday as my rest day in a way because I’m in the one place and I don’t have gymnastics training that day. It’s really nice and enjoyable. Sunday is the day where I can relax and enjoy the performance.”
His professional dance partner, Laura Nolan adds: “I don’t know how he’s doing it. We do six hours of dance training a day and then he leaves and goes to do five hours of gymnastics training straight after it. I thought the pros did a lot, he takes it to a whole new level.”
But all his training will pay off, as he confessed that it is helping him prepare for the next Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
“I’m definitely doing the floor routine next time. So I’ve been showing Laura some of my floor exercises,” he explains.
“I’ve been asking her how to make it just a little bit nicer, even in the transition skills. Making the floor routine look like a piece of art is an important part of gymnastics.”
Well this is so exciting!
Dancing with the Stars airs this Sunday at 6:30pm on RTÉ One
