Ukrainian professional dancer Denys Samson, who is part of RTÉ's Dancing with the Stars, has said he is "scared" for his family as Russia's attack on his country continues.
The pro dancer, who is paired with singer-songwriter Erica-Cody, appeared on the Jennifer Zamparelli Show on 2FM on Tuesday, where he said it is "hard" to say how he's feeling.
"I cannot say it's great, because it's not," he told the radio presenter. "My country is suffering, people are dying there. There's not enough food, the shops are closed, the military is suffering. It's real war.
"I'm here. I try to be strong to support them as much as I can to show them we can do it. We can stand up and we can survive and we will not give up."
He continued: "My friends signed for the military. The dancers, I was with them in Ukraine Dancing with the Stars this summer. We were dancing, we were performing - and now they are actually with the guns, full of equipment, and they go for the war. I can't imagine."
Samson spoke about his mother and aunt, who are outside his home city of Odessa, Ukraine, and how they would need to pass through Kyiv to get to the border.
"They are in the countryside about 30km from Odessa," he said. "They are sitting together, only the two of them at home. They can hear everything.
"For now, it's really dangerous because they need to pass through Kyiv. I don't want this at the moment. I'm really scared for their life."
Samson said his mother wanted him to keep going on Dancing with the Stars and that she is proud of him.
"This makes her happy, it makes her proud of me and helps her to stay strong," he said.
The dancer continued: "All the people in Ukraine, they want peace. We're protecting ourselves, we don't want this war. I hope it will finish really soon."
Samson added that he feels "at home" in Ireland.
"You have a really great heart and you're real. Outside of my country, of course I miss my home, but I feel very safe. This is the main thing."
Erica-Cody paid tribute to Samson on Sunday night's show, saying it has been an "extremely difficult" week for the Ukrainian dancer but that he has been "an absolute trooper".
