Singer and former Glee star Damian McGinty is getting to grips with the challenges of Dancing with the Stars as the show swings into its second week.
Last Sunday, Damian and his pro dance partner Kylee Vincent were the seventh couple to take their place on the dancefloor on opening night, performing a tango to Ed Sheeran hit Shivers.
And with that debut dance done and dusted, the Derry native is getting more into the swing of things - he’s even beginning to enjoy himself a little bit more now that the contest is up and running.
"The nerves have settled a wee bit," he insisted when we caught up with him on Friday. "I would say the nerves are down about 5 or 10%, and the enjoyment levels have gained that 5 or 10%. I think the challenge is still at the same level, if not even higher.
"I’m not feeling as nervous because my song this week is so unbelievably fast that there’s not any time for fear. And there’s not any time to think what comes next. You’ve no choice but to be in the present. Thinking about what you’re doing in the moment."
Before a step was taken on this year’s Dancing with the Stars, Damian had emerged as an early favourite to win the contest. And that was all because of a misconception.
Sure, he was on Glee. He was acting. He was singing. But he didn't dance.
But because he was part of that much-loved show, many people - including the bookies - assumed that he can burn up the dance floor. Nothing, he admits, could be further from the truth.
"I had to dispel that rumour very, very quickly - just because I was on Glee that I could dance," he says. "That is truly not the case. I made a promise to myself that I’m going to stop saying ‘I can’t dance’. But normally, in regular life, I can’t dance well. I really can’t. It’s not natural for me. It never has been.
"My body does not move in a coordinated way. But I’m going to change the narrative from ‘I can’t dance’ to ‘I really struggle to move well’. So, yeah, the Glee tag kind of led people astray. ‘Oh, your man’s from Glee - he can definitely dance.’ But it’s not the case.
"As long as I’m here, hard work is going to get me through. Maybe the talent might appear in the performance aspect, because that comes natural to me, but in terms of dancing it’s just completely hard work. And I’ll see how far that can take me."
On this week’s show Doireann Garrihy and Jennifer Zamparelli present the male contestants performing Latin routines while the female ones showcase their best ballroom dances.
As a result, Damian McGinty has had a very busy week working away with Kylee, and even went in on Monday - their day off - to work on his moves.
"This week I’m dancing a latin dance, the salsa," he explains. "Latin, I’ve already distinguished, is incredibly different than ballroom. I think I prefer ballroom," he says, laughing.
"Honestly, what I would say is that I’ve been having a really enjoyable week. Ballroom is more challenging in the sense of structure, latin - all week - I’ve ben drilling things into my body that my body just can’t do.
"Its natural movements are meant to look smooth, but for whatever reason, I do the opposite of what it’s meant to be. So latin has been incredibly challenging.
"But now it’s Friday and I think we’re getting somewhere. We’ll see."
Dancing with the Stars, 6.30pm, Sunday, RTÉ One
