Erin: I waltz my way past online abuse
DANCING With The Stars contestant Erin McGregor has opened up about her battle with internet trolls who attack her for being UFC champ Conor’s sister.
Mother-of-two Erin is fighting hard to stay in the competition and the blonde fitness model has vowed not to let nasty internet trolls stop her from performing
From the moment she was announced as a contestant on the hit RTÉ show, social media users targeted Erin, insisting she only got her place because of her famous brother.
But the 36-year-old, who has over 100,000 followers on Instagram, hopes that her battle with online bullies can help others to face their internet demons.
‘OK to be hurt, but talk about it’
‘This competition was about not letting what other people say about me hold me back,’ Erin said. ‘Regardless of whether people are still mean to me, I am going to show up each week and do the best I can. I can’t live a life where I allow what other people think of me to hold me back.’
She added: ‘My Viennese waltz was dedicated to all those people at home who have been suffering from online abuse. It was me saying, “It is okay to be upset and hurt by what is said – but talk about it. Take the hand of a friend and don’t let it keep you down.” If I can make people a little bit more aware that there is a person... that they are aiming their comments towards, and that they have feelings, then I am happy with that.’
Erin, who has a teenage daugh- ter as well as an 17-month-old son, suffers from anxiety – and believes Dancing With The Stars has given her the confidence to rediscover who she is.
Being a stay-at-home mum to little Harry for more than a year knocked her physical conditioning and confidence, she says, and she worried about how the public would perceive her. The former hair stylist said: ‘The body is battered and bruised. That to me is a sign that I am working really hard. What you have to take into consideration is that I have a 17month-old baby. My fitness levels were complete beginner when I started the competition. I had lost the love of fitness when I got pregnant and took a long maternity. I wasn’t fit starting.’
With eliminations under way, Erin is refusing to countenance any negative thoughts ahead of tomorrow’s show, airing on RTÉ One at 6.30pm. She said: ‘At the end of the day, if I am in a danceoff, I am prepared to go and do my best and show people that me and Ryan [McShane] deserve to stay in the competition.’