‘We’re proud of her no matter the outcome’
THE parents of Harry Potter star Evanna Lynch, a finalist in the US version of Dancing With The Stars, said they are ‘very proud of her’ no matter what the outcome. Evanna 27, from Termonfeckin, Co. Louth, was last night frontrunner to win the dancing competition which is expected to be watched by millions across the US. Evanna, who shot to fame as a teenager playing quirky Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter franchise, was due to go up against model Alexis Ren, Disney actor Milo Manheim and radio present Bobby Bones with her dance partner Keo Motsepe. Speaking ahead of last night’s show in LA, her parents Donal and Marguerite told the Irish Daily Mail: ‘No matter what happens, we are very proud of her, and it has been very exciting and nerveracking but great fun too’.
Marguerite, Donal and Evanna’s brother Patrick flew out to LA to support her. Marguerite said: ‘We are nervous, but I suppose there’s not a lot of point in being too nervous.
‘Evanna has to handle all of that. So far, she has been amazing. It’s not that she doesn’t get nervous, but she knows how to handle it. She says the worst time is just a few minutes before you go on and the camera is on you. She said once she starts to dance, all of that is defused and she focuses on the dance.
‘I’d say there is more pressure on her now because of the final. The last couple of days we hardly saw her. She was in the studio from 7am until 10pm.’
She added that the dancers must learn the camera angles and positions, which takes a lot of time and practice.
In last night’s final, the remaining four dancers were due to perform twice – reprising one dance from an earlier heat, and then a new, freestyle routine.
Ahead of last night’s final, Marguerite said: ‘Evanna has been living the dream: she always wanted to dance and went to dance classes, in the Little Duke in Drogheda, and Louise Behan. She loved dancing. She never expected this opportunity to come her way. She had a hunch she was capable of dancing, and then she got this opportunity.
‘It has been a really positive experience.’
Marguerite also revealed that a special video message has been recorded by some of her former colleagues in the Harry Potter movies wishing her well. Harry Potter author JK Rowling, actress Emma Watson, who played Hermione Granger in the hit movie franchise, and Matthew Lewis (who played Neville Longbottom) are among those who feature in the video clip.
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‘It has been very exciting’