Olympian Jack Woolley has been wowing the judges week after week in Dancing with the Stars.
But it’s not just his dance abilities that are growing week on week, it’s his confidence.
Jack was brutally attacked in Dublin city centre in 2021, he was hospitalised and underwent surgery following the assault.
Now he has revealed that “life-changing” Dancing with the Stars has helped him regain his confidence.
“The first few weeks [of Dancing with the Stars] I found a little bit weird,” he tells VIP Magazine.
“I can’t stand to smile because my lip is off. I’ve always been in my head about it. My mam got really upset about it, I think it was week three, we did a really good jive that week and I was just smiling away. My mam was like, ‘It’s about time you were smiling.’
“I’ve always banged on about wanting to get my lip ‘fixed’, I always wanted to get a little bit of filler to even it out, so I don’t look crazy. This experience has made me not want that.”
He’s also had to challenge himself by showing more of his body than he usually would.
“The makeup and having my body out was odd. This experience has been life-changing. I was so body-conscious because my sport is a weight-gaining sport and I feel so scrawny. I’m just happy with how it’s going.”
With a smile he says: “It’s so rewarding. In the last few weeks I’ve been like, ‘Why was I like that?’ and I’m finally happy.”
Of course, he has the best support system, including his boyfriend Dave, who has been in the audience every week.
“I love being able to be myself around him and he’s himself around me. It’s an amazing feeling, I can’t even explain it. When you’re so madly in love with somebody it’s just a different feeling altogether,” Jack gushes to us.
He also has a beautiful friendship with his professional partner, Alex Vladimirov. Neither of them could have imagined how close they would have become when they both joined the show this season.
Speaking about being paired up with a professional, Jack said: “I was very picky! I had a little interview to get on the show and I was like, ‘My partner needs to be charismatic but work hard and push me but treat me well when I do things well but tell me when I do things wrong. And I want to be friends with them…’ And I had this whole list of things. They had to ship her all the way from Australia.”
He laughs before telling us: “But I remember the first time I walked into the room and I was like, ‘Who is my dance partner?’ And there was just one mental case dancing in the back and she was like, ‘It’s me!’ And we clicked straight away. Within half an hour I was telling her all about my traumas!”
Alex adds: “It’s a very special friendship. I’ve never had this type of experience on the show. The best thing about Jack is that he fully trusts me. It’s an important thing about these relationships. He’ll do anything I say.”
It’s not just dancing as Alex shares that her father had come from Australia to support her and celebrate his birthday in Ireland.
She says: “I didn’t have time to get a balloon for my dad and Jack was like, ‘Don’t worry I’ll get it.’ He’s the best.”
Dancing with the Stars continues on Sunday at 6:30pm on RTÉ One
