Dancing Dessie waited for six months before watching back his TV moves

HIS unique moves such as the ‘Dessie Swim’ helped him become a household favourite on Dancing With The Stars but it’s only now, six months on, that Des Cahill has dared to watch footage of himself on the show.

The sports broadcaster took part in RTÉ’s first ever version of BBC phenomenon Strictly Come Dancing earlier this year.

Dalkey-based Cahill, 64, and his dance partner Karen Byrne, both pictured, impressed with their unique moves, including a memorable Austin Powers impression, before their exit in the quarter final of the competition.

And despite his popularity with the audience, Cahill couldn’t face looking at his efforts on the dancefloor until very recently.

‘I watched one dance of mine only last Friday for the first time and I realised all the trolls were right,’ Cahill told the Irish Daily Mail.

‘My partner Karen and I said we’d watch them some time for a laugh, so I only watched one dance on YouTube.

‘I couldn’t believe how serious I was. I will definitely miss it when it’s back – everyone got on so well.

‘I’m amazed really because I’m 30 plus years in RTÉ and there was more buzz out of that than anything ever. Maybe because it was all-consuming.’

Cahill is still approached on the street by viewers of the series – and some of his fans are government ministers.

‘You’ve no idea, everywhere I go people still ask about it,’ he said.

‘The highest Government ministers and everywhere I go, they call me Dancing Dessie. ‘We were outside Páirc Uí Chaoimh two weeks ago and kids were doing the Dessie Swim for me.

‘I get a lot of slagging and I can’t be sensitive about it. It was a very enjoyable experience.’

Production firm ShinAwil is currently lining up the next batch of celebrity contestants to take part in the forthcoming season of the programme, set to air in January 2018.

And Cahill wants to see his RTÉ colleagues, Aengus Mac Grianna and Evanne Ní Chuilinn take on the challenge.

‘I’m dying to see who’s asked. Evanne would be great and I think Aengus would be brilliant as well and they’d get on very well.

‘The whole thing is down to the chemistry between the dancers and the celebrity. My advice for the next lot would just be to go for it and throw away all inhibitions.

‘Aidan O’Mahony [the show’s winner] said to me I’d an advantage about camera positions because of my line of work, but I thought that was a disadvantage for me, so just embrace it all.’