A more gracious winner, you probably won’t find. Fresh from being crowned champion of this year’s Dancing with the Stars with Laura Nolan, the Olympic gold medallist joined us in The Trinity City Hotel, Dublin. As we all shared congratulations with the gymnast turned dancer, he brushed it off, not wanting to take credit for their win.
“Ah, it’s all down to Laura and her choreography,” he smiles. But it’s not just that – not at all. Blood, sweat and tears went into the last 12+ weeks, and the results spoke for themselves as Rhys and Laura lifted the glitter ball trophy. Since beginning DWTS, the Co. Down man had been pulled in every direction, with barely a minute to himself.
“Myself and Laura would sometimes go into the studio at 6.30am to rehearse, after seven hours there, I’d go straight into gymnastics training for another four of five hours on top of that,” he told us. And on a Monday after training, he’d also head home to continue work on his house which he’s spent the last two years building and renovating with his long-term girlfriend Emilee. “It was hard, but I’m glad I did it.”
Less than a week after winning the show, the happy couple moved into the house, where they’re excited to begin a new chapter together – with potentially even a little bit of downtime. In the midst of the madness, in between moving boxes, a glitter ball trophy and an Olympic gold medal, Rhys sits down for a catch-up with us, to discuss smashing career goals, endurance and stamina, being a role model and chasing his next dream.
Rhys, how does it feel to be a dance champion?
It’s pretty strange I guess, but at them same time, amazing. That sums up our entire journey and experience. Winning was the cherry on top of an unbelievable few weeks!
Have you been able to celebrate?
We had a big wrap party and celebrated with everyone who was involved, friends and family. It’s a big production and there are so many people working behind the scenes of the show. To celebrate with them and mark a successful few months was special. To have loved ones there as well was so nice.
Yourself and Laura were frontrunners from the very beginning. Did you believe you’d get to lift the glitter ball, or put it out of your mind?
We just focused on each passing week. It wasn’t something that motivated us too much, it was more about putting out routines which we were really happy with. Obviously for Laura it was a chance for her to showcase her choreography and then for me, I just wanted to do it justice. It was almost a competition between ourselves trying to push each other every day to do better each and every week, that kept us going.
You two formed such a close bond on the show, have you made a friend for life?
For sure! Laura is genuinely one of my best friends and that doesn’t come about easily. It’s a special bond we’ve got. We both come from very high-performance backgrounds, with her dancing and my gymnastics, so we understand the journey we’ve both gone through in life to get to where we are. It’s quite unique.
She showed us a bracelet you got her with the word ‘enjoy’ etched on the back of it. Can you tell us the story behind that mantra.
Just before we went on stage for the live shows every week, we’d say it to each other. This little word captures our whole ethos. We just said ‘enjoy’ to each other, it’s so simple but the final words before a performance of any kind are very important and I know that well through gymnastics. The last words my coach would say are often the ones which make the biggest difference. Myself and Laura, by simply saying ‘enjoy’ reiterated our goal for that dance. We weren’t talking about getting high scores from the judges, or trying to make it our best routine yet, we simply wanted to go out and enjoy it all. That was a powerful thing and it was something we both agreed on from the start.
It must have taken the pressure off…
It did! It kept it simple, took the pressure off and we were able to give the best performance because we were enjoying it.
Do you think your career in gymnastics helped you? Not only in physicality, but not shying away from the performance aspect of it all?
It definitely does help that I’ve been performing my whole life, but performing in dance is very different to gymnastics. I had always loved performing on the Pommel Horse, the competition of it all, but Dancing with the Stars stripped it all back and threw me into something completely new. The performing aspect at its core, that’s what I enjoyed.
You kept up the gymnastics training during DWTS too, right? Talk to us about that.
Yeah the European Championships are at the end of May so I had to keep up training. My days were potentially a lot more full than others. It was tough to keep it all up because I didn’t have a minute to spare in the day. Myself and Laura would sometimes go in at 6.30am to rehearse so that I could get my training in later in the day too. It was full on. I was rehearsing for seven hours and then going straight to the gymnastics gym for another four or five hours as well. It was hard but I’m glad I did it.
Your body must be exhausted now!
I am tired. As much as I loved the experience, it’s time to only focus on gymnastics again, which is nice. It was a bit of a threshold test if you will, I was pushing my mind and body to the limits, really challenging myself. I feel like I can take away a lot from that.
How old were you when you first started training?
I was six years old when I started gymnastics.
What was it that piqued your interest in that world?
I was doing gymnastics before I even knew what it was or went to a club. I was the kid who was climbing to the top of the tree or teaching myself how to do back flips off the trampoline in my Spiderman costume. It was a no-brainer for my mum and dad when they saw me doing all that, they knew it was gymnastics for me. As soon as I went into a gymnastics gym, it facilitated doing cool tricks and challenging myself in different ways, that’s when I fell in love with the sport. In a similar way, I’ve learned to love dance as well, the new tricks which kept me going back and kept me engaged.
Now you’re a great role model for other young boys who want to follow in your footsteps.
It’s a big responsibility and I’ve known that since I’ve started to achieve different goals. Young kids started to look up to me as soonas I started to win competitions. When that realisation happened, I became more motivated than ever. I have to perform my best, refine my morals and always look to improve, setting that example for younger generations.
Hopefully there’ll be many more incredible gymnasts coming up the ranks.
I hope so!
Was it gymnastics where you met your girlfriend Emilee?
Yeah, it was. She’s a gymnastics coach so I met her when she was a gymnast herself, back when we were way younger.
How did you both find being apart for the last number of months, or would you be used to the distance and unsociable hours with your training?
We’d be used to me being away from home for a while, not having much time in the day to chat. I didn’t have a minute in the day to spare over the last few weeks and that was difficult for both of us. Even if it was a phone call, it had to be a short one in between training or between a video piece for DWTS. It was tough, but the light at the end of the tunnel was moving in together. I’m super excited for that.
You must be thrilled to start this new chapter together?
Absolutely! It’s something we’ve been waiting for for a really long time, so I can’t wait.
How long has the house been in the building and renovation process?
Just over two years now. It’s been a big project but one that I’m happy to have my dad’s help with. He’s a joiner so it’s nice to get an insight into his world and what he’s done his entire life. He’s been doing so much with me, it’s been a nice process. It’s such an important thing to do stuff with your parents and I’ve grown closer with my dad because of this. I’ve grown to appreciate and respect him even more so now.
Is the house ready to move in to?
We actually spent our first night there last night. There’s still lots to do, but it’s liveable now. It was a special night and I’m glad it’s finally here.
Tell us Rhys, your Olympic gold medal from the Paris Games, where is it going to go? Have you a special place for it in the new house?
We have to find a place for it, it’s normally just on me all the time [laughs]. In all seriousness, I’m not actually sure where it’ll go.
That must be a pinch-me moment every time you look at it, is it?
It really is. It’s hard to put into words what emotions I feel when I look at that medal. It’s a physical representation of a lifetime of work. When I got presented with the medal on the podium I just burst into tears. There are so many emotions you feel in that moment and I still feel a little touch of those every time I hold it.
Winning in Paris, that feeling must be unmatched…what can top that? As an athlete, that’s what you spend years training for, could anything else compare to it?
It’s hard to say what can happen in the future but I feel like very little would compare to it. Maybe holding my firstborn child or my wedding day maybe, but it’s hard to say. It’s one of those things that I just know will stand out forever more.
Are you going to LA in 2028?
I hope so! I’d love to qualify and I’ll do everything I can to get there. It starts now. It’s a constant battle to try get yourself fit and ready for the ultimate goal which is being at the Olympics.
Wrapping this up, Rhys, do you have any plans to just sit back and unwind now, celebrate yourself and your recent string of victories or are you straight onto the next thing?
Straight onto the next! Ah, I do take some time, even if it’s just a small portion of the day to sit back and appreciate what I’ve accomplished, but I also don’t dwell on it either, that’s just how my brain works I’m always onto the next project, pushing to be a better person, progressing more in my life and establishing new goals. It’s a constant cycle.
Reflecting on what you’ve done – you must be proud?
Yeah, I am super proud of myself. I don’t look back enough with gratitude and pride but I try to do it when I can.
