Karen Byrne lifted the Glitterball Trophy this year for her turn on the dancefloor on Dancing with the Stars.
She and her pro-partner Jason Smyth danced their way to the top.
We caught up with Karen at the Platinum VIP Style Awards where she got misty eyed as she chatted about the win. It clearly means a lot to her.
“It’s mad when people say it to me because it doesn’t feel real. It feels like it didn’t happen. It’s surreal,” she says after we congratulate her on the win.
“It was definitely one of the most emotional nights I’ve had on Dancing with the Stars. I was thinking back on Jason’s whole journey. It was a dance I wanted to do from week one when I was paired with him. But I kept putting it off. The fact that everything came together and we got to do it at the final, it was very special.
“It’s a dance I’ll never forget just because of the silence. It says so much when the room goes dead silent, everyone feels the emotion. Sometimes I forgot that he only had five per cent vision, for him to lead me, it was so lovely. It was a real full-circle moment.”
She’s beaming with pride as she chats about Jason, telling us that it was “amazing” seeing him grow in skill and confidence over the course of the show.
“He had no dance experience, he had a massive barrier not being able to see. To have the confidence to go out in and out every week. And his little girls sitting home and watching him. I am so proud of him. It’s lovely to see it all come together,” she gushes.
Coming off her win, how is she feeling about next year’s Dancing with the Stars?
“I don’t know who my partner will be next year. Every season is so different, you never know what might happen. I’m doing this for so long but every year feels like a new show.”
But before that, she has the summer ahead of her and she has a busy one.
“We have a dance retreat in Marbella in June. It’s all planning for that. It’s basically a holiday and learning how to dance in the sun. Looking forward to that! Jake [Carter] is coming with me and he will be doing the entertainment in the evening. But don’t worry he’ll be shimmying a little during the day.”
How exciting!
You can check out all the winners from this year’s Platinum VIP Style Awards here.
