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Ilona Maher shared words of appreciation for her dance partner, Alan Bersten, on his birthday. Maher partnered with Bersten on season 33 of Dancing with the Stars, where they finished as the runners-up.
Maher had an influential role in anchoring the US Women's national rugby team to a bronze medal finish at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The athlete also found popularity on TikTok as she shared highlights from inside the Olympic Village during the Games. After her Olympic podium finish, Maher found herself on the stage of Dancing with the Stars, dominating and almost conquering the competition in the finale.
On May 26, Maher shared birthday wishes for her dance partner and friend Bersten. She greeted the dancer on turning 31 and wrote on her Instagram story:
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"Happy Birthday to my favorite dance partner @alanbersten"
Ilona Maher was also part of the Dancing with the Stars live tour. There, the rugby player shared the stage with fellow Olympian Stephen Nedoroscik. Maher joined Nedoroscik for the tour as a guest after her short stint with the Bristol Bears.
Ilona Maher opens up about why she spends time with her fans after matches
Ilona Maher is a global rugby sensation and also an inspiring athlete and human being. The 28-year-old has been a big advocate of body positivity and mental health.
Sharing her love for her fans, Maher penned an emotional note on why she spends so much time with fans after the end of her rugby matches. She wrote on Instagram:
"Because they are also the ones changing the game. They are buying the tickets, showing up, and cheering for us. We want more people to play rugby but almost just as important: we need people supporting it. For the women’s game to grow, we need to grow our fanbase. We need more seats filled to show the value that we know we have."
"Our fanbase can be a lot different than the men but that’s what makes it so cool. I look out in the crowd and see we now have women and girls in our stands who’ve never seen a rugby match....."
Ilona Maher recently represented the USA at the Pacific Four Series. The team finished at the bottom of the table, losing all three of its matches. New Zealand clinched its third Pacific Four Series title, with Canada finishing as the runner-up and Australia taking third place.
