Dancing With The Stars champion Katelyn Cummins has revealed that she would love to return to the show next year - not as a celebrity dancer but to work behind the scenes as an electrician.
The 20-year-old, who hails from Ballyouskill on the Laois/Kilkenny border, won the competition with her pro-dance partner Leonardo Lini after an emotional final on Sunday night during which she also revealed she struggles with hearing loss.
It marks a double victory for Katelyn following her Rose of Tralee triumph last year and the apprentice electrician is already plotting her return to the world of DWTS.
Speaking to RTÉ Entertainment after the show Cummins said: "It's a phenomenal team here - hair, make-up, costume, production, crew and it’s an amazing family to be part of."
"I’d like to come back next year and be an electrician on the show and do the tech behind the scenes. I work Monday to Friday on my normal job so I’d be free on Sundays for the show."
Speaking after she lifted the Glitterball Trophy with Leonardo, she said, "I’m absolutely ecstatic. It’s been an unbelievable three and a half months and we said from the outset that this was our goal to get to the final."
Katelyn chose the DWTS final to reveal that she struggles with hearing loss, something she had chosen not to mention while she was competing on the Rose of Tralee.
"DWTS has helped me grow in my confidence as a person and I was delighted to tell my story in my own way." she said.
It made for a very emotional night, with judge Brian Redmond in tears and co-host Jennifer Zamparelli maybe also having something in her eye.
"I saw Brian’s eyes start to well up and I was like, 'holy sh**!’" Katelyn said. "I didn’t expect it to have that much of an impact on people. Me and Leonardo felt the emotion during the week but we didn’t realise the affect it would have on other people."
Asked what she thought clinched the public vote for her and Leonardo, she said, "I genuinely don’t know. We have worked so hard every week and we have tried to really get that message to the public. We were true to ourselves all the way through."
Katelyn returns to her Rose of Tralee duties first thing on Monday morning when she jets off to the US for Rose events in New York, Texas, Nashville and Canada.
Her priority after that is to return to work this September and finish her apprenticeship and secure her degree.
Winning both the Rose of Tralee and DWTS has done wonders for her confidence.
"As a teenager, I was afraid to say yes to things because I thought I wasn’t good enough to do them and I am really glad about the way my growth and journey has progressed over the years because it has allowed me to be where I am today."
You can watch the Dancing With the Stars WTS grand final on the RTÉ Player
