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Ilona Maher recently celebrated International Dance Day with a throwback to her performances on season 33 of Dancing With The Stars. Reacting to this, her partner on the show, Alan Bersten, penned a quick note to show his support for the rugby star.
Maher rewrote the record books at the Paris Olympics when she led Team USA to bronze. Soon after, she made history again when she appeared on DWTS, becoming the first rugby player to achieve this unique feat. Maher and Bersten delivered iconic performances, including a number set to the Disney movie Encanto’s ‘Surface Pressure’.
On April 29, Maher celebrated International Dance Day. Taking to Instagram, she shared a reel including snippets of her performances on DWTS, with text in the video reading:
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“The butterfly effect is crazy because what do you mean if I hadn't said yes to DWTS I wouldn't have had one of the best experiences of my life.”
Responding to this, Alan Bersten commented:
“You my dawg.”
Ilona Maher opens up about her dynamic with Alan Bersten on DWTS
Through season 33 of Dancing With The Stars, Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten developed a close bond, and the duo’s friendship was an instant hit among fans. Recently, Maher opened up about her dynamic with the dancer during the show.
Speaking in an episode of the ‘House of Maher' podcast, the rugby star explained that she treated Bersten like a coach, saying (at 46:51):
“I went into the show knowing (I'll be) around this person all the time, constantly spending time with them. So I kind of treated Allan like my coach. Whenever somebody becomes my coach, I start to respect them and look up to them. I think that's what's made us flourish.
It's knowing that this is not a working relationship but we're here for a common goal. We're here to create something and we're here for a bigger purpose of inspiring America or whatever it was. I think that allowed us to get even closer.”
In season 33 of Dancing With The Stars, Maher and Bersten were a popular pairing. They made it to the final, where they finished as runners-up. After the show, the duo reunited for the DWTS tour.
