I know it’s not brain surgery but I’m really proud of myself
Rosanna Davison on finding her feet and fighting her fears on the DWTS floor
ROSANNA Davison has said Dancing With The Stars has dragged her out of her comfort zone, and that she is fighting her fears and defeating ‘imposter syndrome’. Speaking as she prepares to take to the floor tomorrow night to dance the Charleston with her pro partner Stephen Vincent, the model and former Miss World said she had felt her self-confidence grow. She said: ‘I spent four intense years with the babies at home, you lose your sense of self... I had forgotten what I used to enjoy, the sense of independence I used to have. ‘The show has brought back a sense of who I am outside of being a mum, which is obviously my most important role.’ She admitted she felt physically sick before her first show, but said she was learning to embrace the fun side of DWTS. ‘I know we’re not saving lives. We’re not doing brain surgery. We’re just dancing on TV, but at the same time, there’s a huge hurdle to get over in terms of the anxiety of it all. I’m proud of myself for overcoming my fears every weekend,’ she said. Ms Davison, 39, said she was still trying to perfect the Charleston ‘swivel’ technique, but that she was having fun and ‘getting there’.
She said she believed it had been a ‘great confidence-boosting experience’ to have to adopt a different character each week, be it comical, emotional or dramatic. She said: ‘I had zero confidence in my ability to dance at the start, and I’ve found over the last couple of weeks that my confidence has been growing – maybe my imposter syndrome is starting to diminish a little bit, and that feels really good. I feel like I’m only really getting started now.’
Ms Davison admitted she was worried about being in the danger zone for elimination, mid-leaderboard.
‘The thing about elimination is that anyone can go, nobody is safe.
‘Put your heart and soul into it’
I was really shocked and really sad to say goodbye to [TikTok star] Miriam [Mullins] on Sunday, I think everybody was,’ she said. ‘You have to hope people are voting for you. All you can do is work hard during the week, put your heart and soul into it and hope for the best.’
Asked if she would like to present DTWS herself one day, she said she could not see Jennifer Zamparelli and Doireann Garrihy giving up their places, but admitted: ‘If the opportunity ever came up, maybe!’
And will her famous father Chris de Burgh be appearing on the show? She joked: ‘Watch this space, it might be soon.’
Dancing With The Stars can be seen tomorrow at 6.30pm on RTÉ One and on the RTÉ Player.