Dancing With The Stars hopeful Carl Mullan admits that if he has to face a dance-off elimination on this Sunday's show he "may end up absolutely crumbling!"
The 33-year-old Dubliner, who co-hosts RTÉ 2fm’s breakfast show with DWTS co-host Doireann Garrihy and Donncha O'Callaghan, is dancing what has been called "the fastest Tango ever seen on the show" to Sucker by The Jonas Brothers tonight.
"My nerves will be through the roof this week," he says. "Funnily, you have to try and enjoy it as much as you can because there is a 50/50 chance that this is it, this will be the last time you’re dancing.
"My attitude is that if you end up in a dance-off, try and enjoy it but if it actually happens, who knows?"
On last week’s dedicated dance episode, the boyish self-confessed "messer" got to fulfil his main ambition when he first agreed to do the show - dancing to Higher Power by Coldplay, which he dedicated to his baby son Daibhí.
It’s been non-stop for Carl over the past few weeks. In between doing the breakfast show on 2fm and then hightailing it to the DWTS rehearsals, he is a very busy boy.
"Last week, I hit a bit of a wall, I really did," he says. "The thing I’ve learnt from doing Dancing With The Stars is how important sleep actually is.
"Some nights I’m going to bed at 10.30 or 11 and then I’m back up at five and those days I am really tired and that would have a knock-on effect for the rest of the week."
He adds, "Your ability to take in information and process information just isn’t as good but the nights when I do get to bed early are amazing. I come into rehearsals and I’m able to do steps I couldn’t do the previous Monday. There are days when I am really tired, but I’ve been really lucky.
"My wife Ash has been amazing. She’s a big fan of the show and she said `look, whatever we need to do as a family to make this work, we’re going to make it work’. Sleep is at a bit of a premium at the moment."
Recently Carl and his dance partner Emily Barker got quite a surprise when pop superstar Lewis Capaldi dropped into one of their rehearsals to wish them well as they prepared to dance to his song Pointless.
"People love him because he’s very self-deprecating," Carl says. "It was a surprise when he walked in but what was really a surprise was how warm he was. The Lewis Capaldi you see online is the same as the one you meet in person. If he wants me as a back-up dancer on his tour, I’m more than willing to get on board."
Asked if he was sick of the sight of his breakfast show co-host and DWTS co-presenter Doireann Garrihy, he said, "The thing is with me and Doireann and Donnacha is it’s like we’re brothers and sisters. There are times when we get annoyed with each other, and we just say it.
"In terms of Dancing With The Stars, we actually see so little of each other because she is so busy, but it is nice having her there. There could be days when you’re in a panic and you see her across the room, it’s nice to have a familiar face there."
Dancing With The Stars, Sunday, RTÉ One, 6.30pm
