WEATHER forecaster Joanna Donnelly has joked she should have a handicap on Dancing With The Stars — because she is up against “two Olympians and a Miss Universe”.
The Met Eireann meteorologist also told how she was dragged into doing an overnight shift covering Storm Eowyn on Tuesday before rushing back to rehearsals with professional partner Maciej Zieba.
But Joanna said the biggest obstacle on DWTS is competing against younger athletes like Olympians Jack Woolley, 26, and Rhys McClenaghan, 26, and ex-Miss Universe Ireland Aishah Akorede, 25.
She told The Irish Sun on Sunday: “I’m pretty fit but I’m also pretty old, so I would want to have something going for me. There is no compensation for being 54 in this competition.
“I’m on the same playing field as two Olympians, a Miss Universe and a couple of 20-somethings but we are all judged by the same panel for the same things. So I’d love there to be a handicap system like there is in golf, where some golfers play off scratch and some golfers have a handicap.
“I’d like there to be a handicap system as I am not only a woman, I am menopausal and 54. Give me a break people.”
Joanna admits her dancing suffered in the opening shows because she was trying to juggle her day job at Met Eireann with dance rehearsals — with Storm Eowyn adding to the chaos this week.
She said: “You don’t know the weather you’re going to get when making your schedules, and during the first week I wasn’t prepared for the level of commitment for both the weather and dancing.
“I didn’t take off enough annual leave and wore myself out. I went straight from DWTS rehearsals to working night duty from 8pm to 8am on Wednesday night doing my little bit. Thankfully we are a big team in Met Eireann and there is always someone covering.”
Joanna also revealed how she brought in some help at home to look after husband Harm Luijkx and their three children, Nicci, 19, Tobias, 15, and Casper, 13, who all support her in the competition.
She said: “I consulted my family before I agreed to take on DWTS. They have been super at picking up the slack and I’ve had some help as well too around the house which I hadn’t got before. You just can’t do everything.”
And the public are loving it too, with last Sunday seeing Joanna samba to reggae hit Gimme Hope Jo’anna.
She said: “People come up to me all the time now. On the Luas, everywhere. Dancing With The Stars is a very inspiring show and makes a lot of people very happy.”
Tonight is Movie Night, with Joanna dancing a quickstep to Mrs Robinson by Simon & Garfunkel from classic Sixties film The Graduate.
The programme will finish with the second celebrity elimination.
- LEAD judge Loraine Barry will be missing tonight following the death of mum Caroline on Wednesday. A spokeswoman said: “In the light of this sad news Lorraine will not appear on the show. Brian, Arthur and Karen will judge the remaining ten contestants’ performances for Movie Week.”
