An n a’s feet on the ground as she dances for glory
ANNA Geary waltzed to the top of the leaderboard in last week’s ‘Dancing with the Stars’ thanks to her flawless Charleston.
But the former Cork Camogie captain (30) said she feels no pressure to replicate her perfect performance in tomorrow night’s routine for the show that is now entering its final stages.
“The way I see it, it’s a new week and a completely different style of dance. It’s not like when you’re a runner or a sports person, when you’re competing against yourself to better your previous result. This is like learning a brand new dance again,” she said.
“Everyone’s been at the top of the leaderboard at some point, so I was there last week because the dance suited me better.
“If I don’t do as well, I just have to remind myself that I’m not after disimproving, some dances just suit you better.”
With just four weeks left in the contest until the grand finale, rivalry is starting to intensify among the seven remaining contestants.
Geary – who with dance partner Kai Widdrington has been installed as one of the bookies favourites – admits that while she’d love to lift the Glitterball Trophy at the end, she’s taking it one week at a time.
When it comes to keeping her cool under pressure, her sports background is helping her stay grounded during her time in the spotlight.
“Of course I want to win and if anyone tells you they don’t want to win, you would have to question how good a liar they are.
“But while I want to win, whether I think I could win is an entirely different question. I always said when I was playing with Cork, all you can do is put yourself in a position where you can win but you should never worry about the outcome.
“I would never have worried if we were the favourites to win the AllIreland or not.
“You just have to focus on the performance. You can’t control what the judges say or how the choreography goes. I just have to give my best performance possible.”
But she must reckon she’s in with a real shot of going back home to Cork with yet another title, albeit a far more sparkly one than she’s used to?
“You can’t be worrying about the favourites and what the bookies say, because one bad week can throw you off.
“If you start believing the hype about yourself, you’re going nowhere and Kai’s feedback is all I’m interested in,” she said.
This weekend sees the seven celebrities indulging in their ‘guilty pleasures’ as the show’s theme, with Geary and Widdrington dancing an American Smooth to ‘Achy Breaky Heart’.