On season 33 of Dancing with the Stars, Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher wanted viewers to see female athletes as more than their sport—and to see that strength, femininity, and dance can belong together. She also hoped girls would recognize themselves in a woman with her body type performing on the dance floor.
What did Ilona Maher want to show on DWTS?
Maher said she wanted her appearance on the dance competition to challenge the idea that female athletes are defined by their sport or by stereotypes attached to it. In a press-line comment reported by Outsports, she put it this way: “I think it’ll just show what I’ve been trying to say, which is female athletes are so much more than their sport, so much more than the stereotypes that they’re put in with the sport.”
ABC News framed her season 33 appearance around showing that rugby stars are multidimensional. The point was not that a dance competition could prove what all female athletes can do; it was that Maher wanted viewers to see her taking on something beyond rugby and decide for themselves what that meant.
Why did she connect rugby, strength, and femininity?
Maher has spoken about rugby’s reputation as a masculine, highly physical sport and the expectations women face when they play it. In an interview with Women’s Health, she said: “Rugby requires a certain human and a certain sort of personality. For women especially, it’s a person who is prepared to break societal norms, in a way, and play a sport that is generally thought of as masculine, manly, and too physical for women.”
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She did not see athletic power and beauty as opposites. Speaking to GMA, Maher said, “We go out there on the field and we’re beasts, but I can be a beauty, I can dance and do all these things.” She also told the outlet: “My new goal for this is to show that all body types can dance and express themselves out there through dance and feel sexy and beautiful when you’re out on the dance floor.”
What did she want young girls to see?
Maher tied that visibility to girls seeing someone like themselves in a public performance. GMA reported that she said viewers enjoyed seeing a girl like her move and could see themselves in her. She described the performance as showing both physical and mental strength.
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In the Women’s Health interview, Maher said: “It’s just important for these girls to see me constantly out there showing that being big can be beautiful, and it doesn’t take away from your femininity in a way.” She added: “All body types can dance and express themselves out there through dance.” Her stated aim was to make room for body types and forms of femininity that are often left out of narrow expectations—not to suggest that one contestant represents every athlete or every girl.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Maher’s DWTS run with Alan Bersten
Maher joined season 33 after the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she had just won a bronze medal with the U.S. women’s rugby team. She competed with professional dancer Alan Bersten. In November, GMA described the pair as among the season’s top six; the Associated Press later reported that Maher reached the final.
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The AP also reported that Maher lifted her male partner during the competition. Maher summed up the balance she wanted to convey with a line reported by the AP: “I can be a beast on the field and feel beautiful as well.”
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