Brooke Scullion eyeing RTÉ’s Glitterball trophy ‘Dancing With the Stars’

No wonder the girl from Heaney country has been nothing more than a moving poem on the dance floor for the past 10 weeks.

When she returns to her hometown of Bellaghy this week, everyone wants a piece of Brooke Scullion.

was selected to the final Dancing with the starsConsidered by many to rotate with the Glitterball trophy, she is a wonder of innovation.

From the final UK Voices to sing for Ireland at Eurovision and is currently producing a series of stunning dance performances on RTÉ’s spectacular Sunday night, she has reinvented herself many times over than Madonna in a lot less time.

But throughout it all, she’s still the girl from Bellaghy.

She plopped down on a stool in The Taphouse Bar and Restaurant’s bar, all of which were kicked out by hundreds of students early to cheer her homecoming before the final.

In true Heaney country style, she orders a hot whiskey to sip by the fireplace. She’s been here before, but still finds it “crazy”.

“A few years ago, I was like kids running around excitedly,” she said, hugging almost all of them.

At the age of 23, Scullion has learned a lot over the past few years, making her mark for the first time in UK Voices where she reached the final of the series that was cut short due to Covid-19 disruption, finishing third.

But that almost didn’t happen because she was persuaded to audition for the show while studying drama at Ulster University in Magee.

“I don’t have friends there and find it a very vulnerable place for me,” she said.

“I’m studying for a live drama that doesn’t involve singing. I haven’t sung since school. I told one person I wanted to try my hand at choir, and it felt like a dream.

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“When voice the audition went to our university, my friend put me in the audition and forced me to go.

But offers were not made after she starred in the ITV show.

Instead, have two years wondering what to do next. She turned to songwriting, and among the songs that emerged were So rich.

“For two years, I didn’t open my mouth to sing for anyone, but I went and wrote my own material,” she said.

Confidence needed to be rebuilt, and when it was suggested that she take her hat off to the ring to represent Ireland at Eurovision, the opportunity opened up again.

Winning the public vote earned her a trip to Turin last May, raising her profile once again. Afterward Dancing with the stars come call.

Beside her, Robert Rowinski, her dance partner on the popular show, seemed a bit surprised by the reaction she received on home turf.

Tomorrow night’s big finale sees Scullion, Glee actor Damian McGinty – also from Derry – TV host and businesswoman Suzanne Jackson and 2FM host Carl Mullan vying for the throne. champion.

“We have two more dances,” Scullion said. “It’s hard to believe after 11 weeks. I love the idea that now I can sing and dance. The next action, maybe Broadway, you never know. But Sunday comes first.”