Fr Ray has got terrible abuse. I feel it’s really unwarranted
DANCING WITH THE STARS contestant Sinéad O’Carroll has said that the current crop of celebrities have rallied around Fr Ray who has been viciously targeted since the first show. Sinéad, who shot to fame in 1990s girl band B*Witched, told the Irish Mail on Sunday she has ‘huge admiration’ for the under-fire priest.
‘It’s terrible, I feel it’s really really unwarranted,’ she said.
‘At the age he is coming into this process – he is doing the hours, he is doing what he can do in the capacity that he can do it.
‘He has taken a lot of stick for it and I think the way he has held himself and conducted himself is really admirable. It’s not easy having that thrown at you, then having to get on with your week doing what you have to do. It’s quite unfair. ‘
It emerged this week that Fr Ray, from Oldcastle, Co. Meath, was forced to report violent threats and abusive letters to gardaí since he joined DWTS.
Now Sinéad has revealed that the 66-year-old cleric had been having a hard time since his very first dance on the RTÉ programme.
‘Stuff happened after one of his first shows that he did, and I think he was quite shook up about it; it’s not a nice feeling for anyone to experience that,’ she added. ‘But I think in his mind he is through the worst of it. He is really enjoying it more and he is taking it for what it is. He’s getting better and he’s getting more confident.’
The singing priest, who rose to fame on Britain’s Got Talent, revealed this week that he almost bowed out of the show as a result of the abuse he has received.
‘There was a lot of negative stuff coming in from people, anonymous people,’ he explained this week.
‘Christmas cards and stuff like that coming in… like one particular card said: “Now remember John the Baptist when a woman danced for him and he was beheaded.”
‘There was one last week that came in saying: “Father Ray, wouldn’t it be wonderful to witness with Lent coming if you now for the nation decided to pull out from Dancing With The Stars and show the nation just the sacrifice you’re making just by pulling out”.’
Dublin-born dancer Sinéad may have spent most her youth singing dancing on stage with her band B*Witched, but even she admitted to finding the DWTS schedule tough going.
‘I’m loving it; it’s a total bucket-list thing. I’m physically bashed and battered but I’m loving it,’ she said.
‘I had spoken to Denise [McCormack] who had done season one, so I kind of knew what I was getting into for training and stuff like that, and obviously the longer you stay in the more demanding it is.
‘It’s hard but everyone is having the laugh, it’s great to be involved.’
The 46-year-old mother of two is partnered with Ryan McShane, who she says is a tough but fair teacher. ‘Ryan is so chilled and so calm,’ she said. ‘He works me hard, I think he sees potential in me and he knows how to push it but sometimes I feel that my body is broken.’
And while the dreaded ‘Strictly Curse’ has seen many marriages flounder on the dancefloor, Sinéad laughs and said her husband Mike Rahman is a devoted DWTS fan.
‘My husband has no worries,’ she added. ‘The minute I got the call he was like, “You have to do it.” He was nearly more excited that I was.’
As this season’s show heats up, contestants are gearing up for a battle for this year’s Glitterball.
But Sinéad says that while everyone wants to make the final, it’s very much a case of friendly fire among the final six. ‘For me, it doesn’t feel like a competition – it’s just people don’t want to leave,’ she said.
‘There’s a lot of banter but we all know it’s an entertainment show as well. You just have to do your best and enjoy it.’
‘In his mind, I think he’s through the worst of it’