‘Way out of my comfort zone’
Paralympian hero Jason Smyth’s blistering speed on the track may have earned him 21 gold medals but Dancing with the Stars has given him a huge boost of conf idence and brought him closer to his daughters
PARALYMPICS hero Jason Smyth has revealed how taking part in Dancing with the Stars has given him a major confidence boost and a unique opportunity to connect with his two little daughters.
The sprinter earned the title the ‘Fastest Paralympian on the Planet’ after a glittering track career in which he collected 21 gold medals.
But taking to the dancefloor under the glare of the TV spotlight has been an entirely new challenge for the legally-blind Co. Derry native.
Speaking ahead of tonight’s episode, Jason said: ‘Anybody who knows me knows this is way out of my comfort zone.’
While he is performing live on television with his pro-partner Karen Byrne, he cannot see any of the audience on set.
But, Jason admitted, ‘that’s normal’ for him to deal with.
He said of his extremely challenging condition: ‘It affects everything.
‘I’ve roughly about 5% to 10% vision on a percentage scale.’
‘Jason really makes you realise what you have’
Even the changing of lights and colours, which are an integral part of the performances, presents another challenge for the former athlete.
‘It’s the changing in colours where I can make out images,’ he said.
‘The colours last week were the same colours, so I was finding it hard to even see the difference between Karen’s dress and a light passing.’
Jason has Stargardt disease, which developed when he was a child of about seven or eight years old.
But while his life-changing condition was difficult at first to absorb, he was determined that his diminished sight would not define his entire life.
‘Learning to accept it is quite difficult. My journey in sport was when I began to accept it,’ Jason said.
He continued: ‘As a teen, I was trying to hide it. Sport was the vehicle that gave me that acceptance and the platform to not see it as an obstacle, but an opportunity. It gave me belief and confidence in myself.’
Jason, who lives outside Belfast with his American wife, Elise, and their two daughters Evie, 8, and Lottie, 5, said his decision to take part on the show was a big hit with his girls.
‘My girls love to dance, and even just before Christmas I got the opportunity to go and watch them dance at their performances, but I can’t actually ever see them.
‘So, for me, this is something they love.
‘For me, this is the opportunity to connect with them a bit more and step into their world to do something that they love that I never really see them do.
‘It’s more so about that father- daughter connection.’
He also hopes his performances will inspire others to embrace challenges they face.
‘You come on these shows and think, “what’s the impact”, and to have an impact in people’s lives in a positive way.
‘Embracing challenges and trying to overcome them is really what it’s all about.’
His professional partner said working with Jason has opened her up to a while new world.
Dance partner Karen said: ‘I don’t treat Jason any differently. In fact, some of the lifts, I probably wouldn’t have done with some of my previous partners. But I know Jason is up for the challenge.
‘I’ve been on the show for seven years and I’ve become a bit more emotional, and Jason is such an inspiration because he never complains and he really makes you realise what you have.
‘We think we have problems, and I’m like: “This man literally comes in every day, puts himself out there and doesn’t want to be treated any differently.”
‘He has brought me to a realisation that there’s so much more to life, and that this show is not about dancing and, if anything, it has completely changed my whole outlook on life.’
Karen also revealed her nowinfamous Austin Powers inspired ‘swim dance’ with RTÉ’s Des
‘You can’t imagine Des Cahill as Austin Powers ’
Cahill has been one of her standout moments on the show.
‘You couldn’t imagine Des Cahill strutting across the stage as Austin Powers,’ she said.
‘It was something the Irish public had never seen before. It got people talking.’
‘I was in character and Des was unreal. Sod it if anyone took it the wrong way; that’s their problem’.