Ilona Maher shared a holiday dance routine with her Dancing With the Stars partner, Alan Bersten, in her latest update. The dance partners have reunited for the show's tour.
Maher proved her billing as a rugby player at the Paris Olympics, as she clinched the first-ever Olympic medal for the USA in this sport. Her team squared off against the Australian team in the bronze medal match and bested them with a score of 14-12. It was not the first time the stars and stripes faced the Australian team; during the Tokyo Olympics, Team USA lost to the Australian team and attained a sixth-place finish.
After her successful campaign at the 2024 Summer Games, Maher was selected for the DWTS, where she and her partner finished as runners-up in the grand finale. The couple has once again reunited days after the conclusion of the show for the practice of the show's tour, which will commence on January 7, 2025, in Richmond, Virginia. The tour will be held in a total of 68 cities.
Amidst this, she shared a dance video with Bersten, where they were seen performing a choreographed routine as the Olympian wished everyone happy holidays in her Instagram post. The post's caption read:
"Happy Holidays Everyone🎄 "
Here is the dance video:
Ilona Maher opened up about her friendship with Alan Bersten
Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten recently appeared in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, where the Olympian spoke about her bond with her DWTS partner, Alan Bersten. Maher said that she grew close to him unexpectedly. Calling him his 'genuine friend,' he said:
“I didn’t expect this to happen but I think having somebody because we spend every day together like truly a genuine friend, somebody who I would hope to connect with for the rest of my life. Like, this has been amazing and it’s been tough at times, but like to go through something like this, it bonds you," Ilona Maher said. (0:15 onwards)
Following this, Bersten also made his feelings known about Maher and said:
“Honestly, I don’t have enough words to express how proud of Ilona I am. She’s remarkable. She’s spectacular. She’s beautiful. She is just everything. She’s awesome and I’m so lucky I met her. I’m so lucky we’re going to be friends now. She is stuck with me.”
Ilona Maher delivered one of the most viral performances at DWTS with Alan Bersten in Disney Week, where she lifted him up on her shoulders.