Dancing with the Stars professional dancer Arianna Favaro has joked that she lays down the law with her celebrity dance partner Eric Roberts - and it's working.
The couple enjoyed a great night on Sunday's Dedicated Dance Week, receiving 34 points from the judges for their Tango to Coldplay's Clocks, with judge Brian Redmond saying that Ireland AM presenter Roberts had "gone up a level tonight".
When RTÉ Entertainment asked Favaro about the change she has seen in Roberts since she began working with him, she said: "Eric is improving every week!
"Of course, every week is a new challenge for him because every style is different - dancing Ballroom and then Latin, Charleston, and American Smooth. Every time is a big, big challenge and a lot of hard work."
"He always listens to me!" she laughed.
"He's like a sponge! What I say he does - immediately! We try to have fun every week. I always say to him in rehearsals, 'Again! Again! Do it again!'"
"Sometimes I think that it's the only word she knows - 'again'!" sighed Roberts.
"We try to have fun, but she's quite strict!"
Looking ahead to this weekend's Fright Night and whether he can continue to impress judge Redmond, Roberts said: "You never know what you're going to get out of Brian, I suppose! Anything positive is a real plus!
"But I just think he's very honest, and it's a good way to gauge how the performance went.
"I think if you didn't do a great job, he's going to tell you, and if you've improved a little, he's going to let you know.
"I'll sleep easy tonight knowing I'm getting a little bit better every week."
Dancing with the Stars, Sundays, RTÉ One and RTÉ Player, 6:30pm
