While Ilona Maher is all set to start a new chapter of her life in the United Kingdom after signing with Bristol Bears, she is still entangled in memories from her time at the recently concluded Dancing With the Stars. The American rugby professional has admitted to missing her dance partner Alen Bersten a week after the pair finished runners-up in the show finale.
Maher received a call for DWTS following a breakthrough campaign at the Paris Olympics and was paired with Bersten, a former champion on the show and professional ballroom dancer. The pair spent over two months together in the studio and practice before going back to their separate ways after a runner-up finish on the finale last week.
However, Ilona Maher hasn’t gotten used to her life post-DWTS yet and is missing the show and her dance partner. The 28-year-old posted a comical video sitting in a coffee shop somewhere in the United Kingdom and titled it “When it’s Tuesday and there’s no Dancing With the Stars” to share her feelings about the end of the season and how she missed Bersten.
“@alanbersten how are you? How’d you sleep? What did you eat today? (We literally message everyday),” she wrote in the caption.
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Ilona Maher received a call for DWTS following a breakthrough campaign at the Paris Olympics, leading US Rugby Sevens to a maiden bronze medal. The 28-year-old was then paired with Bersten, a former champion and professional ballroom and Latin dancer, and they would go on to win the hearts of judges and fans alike.
The duo placed second during the finale of the show after earning the third-best score of 114 out of 120. The pair of Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson earned the highest score of 118 and were crowned the champions after earning the highest fan votes as well.
Ilona Maher received a call for DWTS following a breakthrough campaign at the Paris Olympics, leading US Rugby Sevens to a maiden bronze medal. The 28-year-old was then paired with Bersten, a former champion and professional ballroom and Latin dancer, and they would go on to win the hearts of judges and fans alike.
The duo placed second during the finale of the show after earning the third-best score of 114 out of 120. The pair of Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson earned the highest score of 118 and were crowned the champions after earning the highest fan votes as well.
“I am nervous, I don’t know everybody” – Ilona Maher stressed ahead of her debut in Premiership Women’s Rugby with Bristol Bears
Ilona Maher had been manifesting a move to the English top flight during the end of 2023 but it wasn’t until she received a call from Bristol Bears during her Dancing With The Stars campaign that the move materialized. She signed a three-month contract with the club for the remainder of the season and is set for her debut in January 2025.
The 28-year-old is nervous and stressed ahead of her debut and is feeling like a kid on her way to the first day of school. However, she is equally geared up to take on the challenge as well.
“I do feel like the first day of school, I am nervous, I don’t know everybody. It is a stressful thing and it is outside of my comfort zone but I think this is exactly what I love to do and I like to challenge myself in this way,” Ilona Maher told The Guardian.
The two-time Olympian plays as a utility back for Team USA but will play in the center and wing for the Bears. She is looking to play as a forward as well if given the opportunity.
