New String to his bow: Peter takes rugby pals’ ribbing in ‘DWTS’
RUGBY legend Peter Stringer has become the butt of jokes in a rugby WhatsApp group, as other players mock him for his glitzy outfits, dancing heels and spray tan on ‘Dancing With The Stars’.
The retired Ireland and Munster scrum-half scored the joint third highest place for his sexy salsa opening on the RTÉ One show.
But this Sunday will prove a real test for the 41-yearold, as it’s the first round of eliminations and a tricky quick step routine.
Peter said his wife Debbie and their baby son Noah Alexander, 22 months, have been keeping tabs on him from their Cork home.
And in between long eight-hour rehearsals, Peter is getting slagged from rugby pals including Paul O’Connell, Donncha O’Callaghan and David Wallace about wearing high heels and prancing around the dancefloor in pink.
“I’m part of the rugby WhatsApp group and they’re putting pictures up there of me in a pink suit but being in rugby you expect this slagging,” Peter told the Irish Independent. “You have to be able to take a bit of that every now and then and there’s not a moment goes by when I’m not expecting it.
“They’ve all chipped in with their own little moment, talking about my heels, saying I’ve finally got a few inches, commenting, ‘He’s looking to grow. Finally he’s got heels.’
“They’ve got the slagging down to an art. But if I start feeling embarrassed, it’s going to show, so I’m taking it on the chin. My wife prewarned me I’d have to accept this and I’m fine with it.”
Peter got his own back when he admitted former Ireland international Donncha O’Callaghan, who presents ‘Ireland’s Fittest Family’, has been giving him tips for perfecting a fake tan.
“Don’t be fooled by Donncha’s cheeky chappy exterior, he’s very well experienced in tanning and worked hard on his,” Peter said. “I knew getting a spray tan would be part of the process to look good on camera and it has to be done.
“Donncha said: ‘Go with it and commit to it.’ I think he gets an all-over body tan but I’m not that brave – the shorts stay on with me.”
Peter admitted that despite his athletic career he’s exhausted after rehearsing the demanding ballroom routine with professional partner Ksenia Zsikhotska.
“From a physical point of view, this quickstep is challenging but mentally more so, when you’re trying to learn new fast steps with your feet and it doesn’t have an automatic connection with my brain,” he said. “With dancing, you have to think about it but rugby comes naturally to me.”
‘They have all chipped in about how I’ve finally grown’