"I have genuinely scared a few people"-Ilona Maher weighs in on recent nose injury while playing for the Bristol Bears

Ilona Maher hilariously revealed that the scars she sustained from the PWR match scared people when she stepped out on the streets. Her team Bristol Bears clinched the win against Leicester Tigers despite losing the Olympian to injury in the initial half.

Maher joined the PWR team, Bristol Bears, on a three-month contract, starting in January. Having played as a substitute in her first match against the defending champions Gloucester-Hartpury, she anchored her team to the win by trouncing the Exeter Chiefs. Her third match with the Bears was against the Leicester Tigers on January 18, 2025.

Starting strong, Maher collided with three players at Ashton Gate Stadium and left the game early with an injured nose. The 28-year-old even joined the post-match celebrations with an icepack on her face. On January 20, she took to her Instagram handle to take on her injured face, hilariously revealing that people feared her scarred face.

"I think I have genuinely scared a few people on the street."

Her in-video clip read:

"Felt cute"

Recently, Maher prepared another skit around her injury, pretending to be the center of attention. Her in-video text read:

"Me on the street today (probably)

Maher aced the performance, saying:

"Guys stop fighting over me. There's enough to go around. What? I am a model. Yes. Thank you so much. Oh. You've already fallen in love, it'll pass."

Ilona Maher ended her 2024 season with her Dancing With the Stars stint, winning the runners-up title with professional partner Alan Bersten.

Ilona Maher addressed the backlash women face for wearing makeup on the sporting field

Ilona Maher at the Bristol Bears v Gloucester-Hartpury - (Source: Getty)

Ilona Maher, the most followed rugby player on social media, won attention and following for her body positivity advocacy. She encouraged women in men's sports to embrace feminity and even applied lipstick to her rugby games in Paris.

In a recent press conference, the Olympian talked about perceiving makeup as an instrument to make women feel more confident.

"I love it when girls put on a full face of makeup, and then they go out there and absolutely slay the game, and they bump through people, and they stiff arm, and they tackle the hardest they can. Because a little foundation isn't going to stop you from being a great athlete.

She added:

"For me, wearing lipstick is just a fun thing I get to do. It's like a f*ck you to anybody who thinks that because I stiff arm and I run through people, I can't feel beautiful or can't feel sexy. Beast, beauty, brains, you can be all these things...I just think we gotta stop putting these female athletes in a box."

Ilona Maher traveled to Paris in 2024 for her second Summer Olympics appearance. She won the bronze with the US women's rugby sevens team.