'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Ilona Maher's DWTS dance partner, Alan Bersten, recently opened up about what made his relationship special with the rugby player. They earned a second-place finish on the Dancing With the Stars show.
Maher joined the show after competing at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Her team won a bronze medal after besting Australia with a score of 14-12. This was the first-ever Olympic medal for the USA in this sport. A few days after this feat, she was offered participation in DWTS, where she was partnered with Bersten.
The show concluded on November 26, 2024, and the duo became the runner-up after producing multiple brilliant dance routines during the show. Months later, amid the ongoing DWTS Tour, which has almost ended, Maher and Bersten reunited in the talk show 'House of Maher,' hosted by the rugby player and her sisters, Olivia and Adrianna.
Trending
Olivia asked Bersten about his bond with Maher and what made it special. The pro dancer said:
"Some seasons, you know, you just do your job, you go in, you rehearse, and you leave. I feel like we became friends. We went to rest, we went to eat all the time, we went to the spa all the time, we worked out together. It was more than like oh, let's just dance, and I think that's what made the relationship really fun and the partnership really good.
It's weird because again, I've done this so many times , you never know what to expect. So, I got very lucky with you, Ilona."
After the DWTS campaign, Ilona Maher appeared in an interview and discussed her relationship with Bersten.
Ilona Maher on her bond with DWTS partner Alan Bersten
In the caption to a November 2024 video she posted on Instagram recalling her partnership with Bersten, Ilona Maher reflected on her time at the show.
"Dear Alan, no matter what happens, whether we win or lose, I will forever cherish our time together. I didn't come onto this show thinking I'd make a connection like this. You are the best dance partner I could have hoped for. We laughed. We cried. We gave it our all. It was not always easy, (actually, it rarely was), but so worth it.
It will be strange not to see you every day. Just know, you always made me feel beautiful, powerful, and worthy out there. You have truly changed me for the better. I hope to have found a forever friend in you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything. With so much love," Ilona Maher wrote.
Maher recently met the American skier Mikaela Shiffrin during her visit to the Adidas Headquarters in March 2025.
