Katelyn Cummins has won over the public week in and week out on Dancing with the Stars.
So much so that she won immunity in the first dance off of the season which will take place this Sunday.
Ahead of her dance, she shared that she has a genetic hearing disability as she dedicated her routine to her parents.
Speaking to VIP Magazine after her routine, she explained why she felt like now was the time to share this part of her life.
“I wanted to go down and have a positive experience in Tralee and talk about all the things good about myself,” Katelyn explained.
“Then I kind of realised after a while, my hearing impairment isn’t something bad about me, it’s just another thing that’s good about me. I’m able to express it better and share a positive message that it doesn’t define me.
“I’ve had an insecurity with it growing up, but I’ve gotten over it in the last two or three years. A lot of people are very insecure about their disabilities, so for me to show that I got over it was quite important. I’m really glad I got to use Dancing With The Stars to showcase that as well.”
She went on to say: “Everybody has a different view of what a disability is, but when someone says ‘I have a hearing disability’ I don’t actually know what it means, because I have my hearing aids and it doesn’t define me or disable me to do anything.
“To get that across and for other people to understand that, I have a hearing ability but it doesn’t disable me to do anything because I’m still able to hear and be able to communicate really well.”
What a role model!
Dancing with the Stars airs Sundays at 6:30pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player
