Loraine’s secret past life... as a BIKER
FOUR-TIME world champion ballroom queen Loraine Barry oozes glamour on the set of Dancing With The Stars every weekend.
And while it’s probably not surprising that the series judge – known for her stunning gowns – doesn’t do jeans, there was a time when she hung out with a biker gang while living in the US.
‘I would say I’ve always been glamorous, but years ago I did Route 66 in America on a motorbike. That’s something no one knows about me. I lived in Florida and there was a group of us who used to ride motorbikes.
‘I had to buy a pair of jeans for Route 66’
‘I had to buy a pair of jeans for Route 66 but afterwards they went in the bin.
‘They were so tight and uncomfortable.’
Much like stylish country legend Dolly Parton, who famously never gets out of stilettos, the dancing judge isn’t too fond of flats.
‘The whole dancing career has been in two and a half-inch heels,’ the 57-year-old says.
‘Going up the stairs last week with Jen (Zamparelli), she had some fabulous Louboutin heels on and she was saying, “Jesus, me feet are killing me already” and looked at me and said, “You’re always okay”. And I said: “Jen, I’ve done my whole life in heels…”
‘[Even] with trainers, there are big platform ones and I wear them as well.’
Loraine revealed her bespoke gowns have all been dreamed up by one of her dancing students, Francesca Lazzari, who is also a dress designer.
‘She’s originally from Italy, but she now lives in America. She’s just incredible.
‘When Covid happened, she went online and she got her diploma for fashion-design art and when the show was coming back and she said, “Let me do your dresses, let’s do it together”.
‘So I went over to America and we did all the designs. The whole idea is to be more unique, to be a little bit different.’
But the Dubliner is also quite happy to shed the mystique behind her TV image with TikTok videos of her removing her makeup after the show.
‘I like to show that side of me of taking it all off and letting them see the real me.’
She has spent the last few weeks raising money for Ukranian ballroom dancers, to get them across the Polish border to safety.
On Dancing With The Stars, the Ukrainian dancer Denys Samson received a standing ovation during his first performance after the invasion.
He missed last week’s show after being diagnosed with Covid, but the popular dancer will be back this week with his partner, Erica Cody.
‘His family are still there. I can only imagine for Denys, it’s just so tough,’ she said. But, she added: ‘His outlet will be the dancing.
‘Dancing is huge in Ukraine. I’ve been many, many times to Kyiv. It’s devastating at the moment, it truly is.’