Dancing with the Stars professional Karen Byrne has told RTÉ Entertainment that being partnered with Paralympian Jason Smyth on the RTÉ One show has changed her outlook on life.
The partnership has become one of the cornerstones of the current series as show veteran Byrne - the 2018 DWTS champion and the only professional dancer who has been with the RTÉ show from the start - brings out the best in a sporting legend who is competing on the dance floor with a 5-10% vision range.
During a break from rehearsals on Friday, both said the experience had far exceeded their expectations.
"I've been on the show seven years and I don't know if you know, but I've become a little bit more emotional!" Byrne laughed.
"Jason is an inspiration. He never complains and he really makes you realise what you have. We think we have problems and I'm like, 'This man comes in every day, puts himself out there, doesn't want to be treated any different...' - not that I would treat you any different! - but definitely has brought me to a realisation that there's so much more to life and that this show is not about dancing."
"If anything, it has completely changed my whole outlook on life," Byrne continued. "We give out - we're Irish, we're moaners! - and do you know what? We all need to cop on and realise that this man is, like, amazing!
"Now is probably the first time he's heard me saying this because in rehearsals I'm like, 'Go! Go! Go!', but genuinely it has brought out a side to me that I can't thank ShinAwil Productions (the makers of DWTS for RTÉ) enough.
"Going into the seventh season, I'm like, 'Am I going to bring something new? Am I going to be this pro that people are sick of looking at?' But you know what? He has challenged my brain so much because it's completely different teaching. Like, I love a mirror, I love dancing and going (practising) everything through a mirror, but Jason's like, 'There's no need for them because I can't see me dance'.
"Even to challenge how I teach has brought out a totally new experience in this show and brought out a new lease of life to me because it's challenging me. It's not just, 'Ok, I have to get out and do a dance', it's completely different. The fact that I get to do it with Jason who is just like, 'Yeah, yeah, I'll try anything...'"
"That's a hard one to follow!" Smyth smiled.
A beautifully brilliant contemporary ballroom from Jason and Karen 💖 24 points! #DWTSIRL pic.twitter.com/oUTo6uVQH3
— DWTS Ireland (@DWTSIRL) January 21, 2024
"I think, for me, part of wanting to come on [the show] was really being pushed out of your comfort zone and the challenge - and with that is how we can work together to try [to] bring it together. Karen has been fabulous in being able to do that and for how things have gone. I think, so far, that's probably the piece that stood out for me."
"[When] You come on these shows, you always look at, 'What's the impact?'" Smyth continued.
"I know we've both had a number of people mention [the impact]. And having an impact in people's lives in a positive way - in, I suppose, embracing challenges, trying to overcome them - I think that's, for me, what's actually really important. Regardless of when it ends, for me, that's a success: having a positive impact on people."
As part of Dedicated Dance Week tonight, Smyth and Byrne will perform a Viennese Waltz to John Mayer's Daughters, with the routine dedicated to Smyth's two little girls, Evie and Lottie.
Last Sunday's Salsa was, according to Smyth, his "hardest week" on the show, but as they made their way back to rehearsals on Friday, Byrne put things in perspective.
"On Wednesday, the dance was non-existent. By Sunday, he lifted me - all the lifts happened," she said.
"I was delighted. I always am. Every Sunday."
Dancing with the Stars, Sundays, RTÉ One and RTÉ Player, 6:30pm
