Ilona Maher’s DWTS partner Alan Bersten drops a 3 word reaction to the Olympic bronze medalist's heartfelt wish

Ilona Maher showed her close friendship with her DWTS partner, Alan Bersten, as she wished the pro dancer a happy birthday. In return, Bersten, who turned 31 on May 26, 2025, responded to her heartfelt wish.

Maher rose to fame after her impressive Paris Olympics campaign, where she and her team won a bronze medal after besting Australia. Following this, she was offered participation in the 33rd season of the Dancing with the Stars show, where she was paired with Alan Bersten as her dance partner.

The duo delivered stunning performances in the entire season and earned a second-place finish in the finals on November 26. Shortly after this, they reunited at the DWTS tour and frequently shared social media updates. Most recently, she wished the pro dancer a happy birthday, sharing a picture with him on her Instagram story, and wrote:

"Happy birthday to my favorite dance partner @alanbersten."

Bersten repsoted her story and added a three-word reaction to it that read:

"Ah love you @ilonamaher."

A few days ahead of this, Bersten uploaded a video of him and Maher recreating a viral dance trend on Instagram, and he lauded the athlete's dancing skills by adding a caption that read:

"I think it's safe to say she's out of dance retirement!!!"

Maher announced her retirement from dance after the conclusion of the DWTS show.

Alan Bersten made his feelings known about teaming up with Ilona Maher

Ilona Maher's dance partner, Alan Bersten, recently made an appearance on Maher's podcast, where he opened up about being paired with the rugby player at Dancing With the Stars. He lauded her dance skills and called himself lucky to be teamed up with her. Along with this, he also appreciated her for embracing the show.

“You never know what to expect, and so I got very, very lucky with you Ilona. I'll tell everyone, she is what Dancing with the Stars is. You want to take somebody who doesn't dance, who doesn't know what they're doing, who goes out there, who's nervous, and you turn them into somebody who can actually dance," said Ilona Maher's dance partner.

She added:

“I will safely say I don't think there's ever been somebody who has come on the show and embraced it more and has learned more and came out a different person in regards to dancing at least.”

Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten usually speak about each other on podcasts and share adorable posts with each other on social media. They recently shared a video on Instagram, where they made their feelings known about sharing differences in rugby and dance terminologies.

About the author

An English Honors graduate, Nancy is a journalist at Sportskeeda covering US Olympic sports. She has a total experience of 4 years, having previously worked as a Marketing Executive for BYJU’S before finding her footing at SK.

To deliver the best content, Nancy keeps herself updated by reading as much as possible about the athletes and the sport, and believes that researching and trusting credible sources is the key to reporting ethical and accurate information.

Track and Field events particularly interest Nancy, and she is a fan of Allyson Felix. While she cherished each of her victories, her favorite Olympic moment happens to be the retired athlete’s 10th medal at the Games.

Nancy believes that covering the personal lives and training sessions of the Olympic athletes, and showcasing old podcasts or interviews would help bridge the coverage gap of the sport in its off season.

When away from her keyboard, Nancy spends most of her free time reading books. She also writes poems and plans on publishing a book.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua