Nina Carberry has ruled herself out of winning RTE’s Dancing with the Stars despite topping the leaderboard in her debut performances.
The former jockey, 37, who is partnered up with two time DWTS winner Pasquale La Rocca, has blown judges and fans at home away since the show began and has quickly established herself as a bookies favourite.
But as the competition heats up after Sunday night’s first elimination, the acclaimed sport star is less confident about her odds at making it to the final furlong.
“The elimination is an awful feeling, especially when you are just standing there thinking who is going to be next,” she said after author Cathy Kelly became the first to leave.
“I don’t think I will win the competition,” she added.
“It took me so long to learn each of the first two dances and now there is only a week between each dance.
“I don’t have the six weeks build up anymore.
“I definitely won’t be as good as I was and I’m not expecting high marks.
“I am learning from scratch so I need the time, so I think it will get really tough for me.”
The top jockey, who retired in 2018 at the age of 34, went on to add that she feels she doesn’t have as much time as she needs to dedicate to the show.
“I have the horses to look after at home, so I can only practice in the evening and can’t put in the time that I would like to," the mum-of-two said.
"There are a few dances that will suit me, and then a few that might not."
Despite her own doubts, the Ladbrokes ambassador is the red-hot favourite to win the RTE show and her odds were slashed from 2/1 to 6/4 following Sunday night’s show.
Her ‘sexy’ rumba received raucous applause from the audience and judges alike, scoring a whopping 25 points, the highest score of the night.
But the modest star said she was ‘completely blown away’ by the reaction, after her partner Pasquale had to pull out of training all week before the show due to sickness.
Speaking exclusively to Ladbrokes after the show, she said: “I honestly didn’t expect that at all.
“I was missing Pasquale for some of the training last week which wasn’t ideal so I didn’t know where I stood.
“It just all came together during the last rehearsal which is typical.”
Meanwhile, as she stunned in a backless gown and a slick back ponytail for the moody routine, she admits: “I couldn’t get over my transformation, they made me into a different person altogether. It was mad thinking I even looked like that.
“Just looking at myself, I was like this isn’t me. The glam team do an amazing job backstage with costume/make-up/and hair.
“It’s class to be apart of the whole thing and it’s an experience in itself.”
Dancing with the Stars airs on RTE One at 6.30pm.
