Nicolas Roche’s Dancing with the Stars Diary: I’ll Never Be Patrick Swayze But I’ll Do It All Again in a heartbeat

I could almost see the steam coming out of Karen’s ears because she had to constantly remind me of my elbows, neck and shoulder positions after 10 weeks on the show, so I had very little to say. laugh. And that’s the thing without throwing in a second group dance to learn!

This week I am part of the ‘athletes’ group for team dance alongside Jordan and Ellen, who have also represented Ireland internationally in their respective sports. As part of the Crazy Competition, we had to learn a new routine for salsa, another complex dance before facing off against Nina, Erica and Matt’s Turkish Delights team.

Throwing myself in the group dance next to my personal dance made things quite complicated for me, especially since we just practiced together as a team for two hours on Monday and then were two runs in the dress rehearsal yesterday and this morning.

During the group’s first rehearsal yesterday, I nearly dropped Karen during one of our elevator rides when I got up too quickly and she couldn’t grab my hand in time. Our first foxtrot rehearsal yesterday didn’t go any better either.

Since we were just finishing up the group salsa routine, I was so confused I ended up doing my salsa steps with foxtrot music. First time since joining the challenge Dancing with the starsI feel like I went backwards yesterday and am more nervous than usual watching tonight’s show.

Tonight I have my friend Aidan Duff and his wife, my cousin Erik and my old school friend Cedric in the audience. The last time Cedric flew in from France was to see me finish my cycling career at last year’s national championships, so I hope his presence isn’t a sign of things to come. happening.

Dance to Frank Sinatra’s I love ParisMy foxtrot was a lot better than I expected, but a combined score of just 21 from the three judges and some great performances by the other contestants left me at the bottom of the leaderboard and potentially lost. type.

I knew right away that it was going to be tough to get through next week. When there are so many dancers left in the competition, there’s always the possibility that a combination of public and jury votes could get you through, but tonight I know there’s a very good chance I will. go home.

Video of the day

I anxiously stood beside Karen waiting to hear the names of those who were safe. Unfortunately, however, we never arrived and we were confronted by my old teammate Ellen, a wonderful dancer.

Before we hit the floor to start the dance, I thanked Karen for everything she did for me on the show because I expected the worst after that.

I really enjoyed the dance. I just did it all and got some good reviews from the judges but Ellen is a much better dancer so there’s no shame in being beaten by her. I’ve gotten more advanced in the series but today better dancers are still on the show.

The show has been a long journey and tonight is my final destination. It was an unbelievable, breathtaking, three-and-a-half month experience, an amazing, life-changing experience.

As a professional cyclist, I’ve been in a competitive environment most of my life, but Dancing with the stars never about beating each other up. It’s about putting on socks and just trying to take the next step or, in my case, simply trying to remember the next step.

The camaraderie and craic on the show were brilliant. I don’t know if it’s Irish or in other countries but it’s unbelievable here to see people cheering for each other and supporting each other.

I’m very happy to join the group dance. It was great fun and I ended up lifting a few lifts. In fact, I probably did more lifts in those 30 seconds out of my habit than the rest of the series. And I didn’t drop Karen, which is a huge bonus.

I have to thank all the professional dancers who helped me get on the show but a special thanks goes to Karen Byrne. She is an incredible teacher and dance partner. I started very low the first week and she took me on an incredible journey. Her partner Jake has also been there supporting me, giving me advice and encouragement all the time and I can’t thank him enough either.

Voting from the public has also gotten me this far, and I think people appreciate the progress I’ve made in 10 weeks. I hope people enjoy my efforts and perhaps I have encouraged others to take dance lessons. If I can learn to dance, anyone can.

Another great reward for me is being back in Ireland for so long. It’s great that I can cut ties with my cycling career and get back to spending time with my family. My grandparents aren’t young anymore so just being able to spend more time with them is incredible. I’ve been on this road too long to have quiet nights over eating and chatting with my cousins, aunts and uncles, it’s the perfect environment for me.

I’ve ticked a lot of boxes with this journey and have definitely grown and matured with the show. It’s like throwing yourself into the sea without knowing how to swim the first week. I expose myself and sometimes feel vulnerable on the dance floor because I know I can make a fool out of myself at any moment. But there’s only so much you can do and once you’ve tried your best that’s your limit.

Thank you to all the crew members, to all the dancers, to all the competitors and to everyone who has supported me on this journey. I’m never going to change to Patrick Swayze overnight, but if I had to do it all over again, I’d do it in a heartbeat.