The Traitors Ireland contestant Paudie Moloney has said he's ready to take on any challenge that comes his way on RTÉ One’s new series of Dancing with the Stars, admitting his main aim is to "tighten up" his steps.
The retired prison officer became something of a national treasure earlier this year, enjoying widespread popularity in his native Limerick and across the country following his appearance on the hit deception game show alongside his son, Andrew.
On Sunday night’s opening episode of Dancing with the Stars, Moloney and his professional partner Laura Nolan performed a Cha Cha Cha to A Little Less Conversation by Elvis vs JXL. The pair scored 13 points, leaving them at the bottom of the leaderboard.
Judge Arthur Gourounlian praised Moloney for "accepting whatever challenge" is thrown at him, while Oti Mabuse said she believes he could be "a bit of a dark horse" in the competition.
Watch: Paudie and Laura perform a a Cha Cha Cha to A Little Less Conversation by Elvis vs JXL
Speaking about the challenges he expects to face on the dancefloor in the coming weeks, Moloney said: "Genuinely, I’m positive about what we’ve done. There are so many steps that I wouldn’t have known what they meant before, so the challenge is to tighten it up and get them right."
Nolan praised her partner’s dedication and enthusiasm, revealing she was delighted when Moloney surprised her by using official dance terminology during rehearsals.
"Every week is so different," she said. "It’s like you scrap everything and move on to the next thing. But there are definitely elements you can carry with you."
She added: "This is completely off topic, but I was delighted during rehearsals when you missed a step and turned around and said, 'Jesus, I missed the Cuban break.’ I thought that was brilliant!"
Moloney also said he was thrilled to have his son Andrew - a fellow The Traitors Ireland star - in the audience for the first show, admitting it meant the world to have his family’s support.
"My kids were there with my wife, so it was brilliant to have them all together supporting me," he said.
Next week’s episode of Dancing with the Stars will see the first elimination take place - a week earlier than in previous series.
Dancing with the Stars airs Sundays on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player at 6.30pm.
You can catch up on last night's show here: As it happened: Dancing with the Stars returns!
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