Love Island star Matthew MacNabb held back tears as he emerged on top of the leaderboard on Dancing with the Stars last night after an emotional performance dedicated to his late friend.
It was a tear jerking night on the hit RTE show, as the the stars celebrated ‘dedicated dance’ night by each paying tribute to someone special in their lives.
But it was Co. Down native Matthew and his professional partner Laura Nolan who were deemed the ‘stand out stars’ of the night, after their moving contemporary ballroom dance to ‘See You Again’ by Charlie Puth in memory of his pal Ryan Freeman, who passed away last summer aged 27.
Speaking afterwards, an emotional Matt said: “I didn’t know how I was feeling, and it was only when someone said it to me afterwards, that it seemed like I was just there with Laura and Ryan, and nobody else there, no crowd, and that’s exactly how it felt.
“I was very emotional watching the VT before, thinking of memories, and I just went into full mode.
“It wasn’t a dance for me, it was a tribute to him. It was just what I felt in the moment. And it was just perfect.”
Ryan tragically passed away just days before Matt entered Love Island last summer, and he found out the news alone while he was quarantined in Spain before entering the villa.
Looking back at the heartbreaking time, the 26-year-old said: “We had such special memories, he was such a special person. “I was in Love Island quarantine when he passed away so I wasn’t able to go to his funeral so this was my ode to him.”
Matthew and Laura scored 26 from the judges, who were blown away by his performance after a rocky start in the competition.
Arthur Gourounlian said: “Ryan was here tonight definitely because I could feel it. Oh my god that lift on the floor, wow. Oh my god that was absolutely stunning. The best night yet for you.”
Brian Redmond added: “Well, listen when you make a dedication to somebody it has to be heartfelt and committed. That was leagues above everything else.
Loraine Barry added: “If I had to pen a letter to Ryan I would say Ryan, Matt did you proud.
“The dancing was so beautiful. This performance stood out to me tonight.”
In a special twist for the night that was in it, no couple was eliminated from the show.
But as Matt and Laura's emotional dance saw them achieve the highest combined vote between the judges scores and the public vote, they came out as the night's big winners and bagged a free pass from next week’s first dreaded dance-off.
They are now fast-tracked to Big Band Orchestra week which takes place in two weeks’ time.
Jockey Nina Carberry and her pro Pasquale La Rocca got the night off to an energetic start, with an upbeat salsa dedicated to her two young daughters, Rosie, four and Holly, two.
After dancing to ‘Starships’ by Nicki Minaj, a song she said her girls love to dance around the kitchen to, Nina admitted: “I can’t wait to go home and watch it with the girls.”
Nina and Pasquale scored 24 from the judges
Aslan’s Billy McGuinness and Hannah Kelly were up next, with a tear-jerking contemporary ballroom dance dedicated to his bandmate and friend of over 40 years, Christy Dignam. There wasn’t a dry eye in the studio, or amongst fans at home after the pair took to thee floor to Aslan’s most loved hit, Crazy World.
Speaking afterwards, an emotional Billy said: “I can’t believe it. It was so emotional dancing for Christy first of all, but I just put everything into the dance.
“I will never have an experience like that in my life.”
He went on to send Christy and his band mates a message as they watched from home, saying: “I love yas to bits, we have had an amazing forty years. I don’t know how long we can go on for but I have enjoyed every minute of the past 40 years.”
Billy and Hannah scored 17 from the judges.
Olympic medallist Ellen Keane channelled her inner Beyonce as she danced an intense paso doble to her hit ‘Run the World (Girls).
Ellen and her pro partner Stephen Vincent performed the dance in celebration of Ellen’s best friend Aisling Byrne, who she hasn’t seen in three years but is always hugely supportive, even though she lives in Sydney, Australia.
Ellen said: “I think it was so important to dance to Run the World as she’s[Aisling] fierce.
“When I’m feeling down, she’s always there for me, even all the way from Sydney.”
The swimmer scored 28 from the judges, and topped the leaderboard after getting her first ten from judge Arthur.
Speaking to host Nicky Byrne, she said she was on “cloud nine.”
TV presenter Gráinne Seoige and her partner John Nolan followed, with a performance dedicated to her husband Leon.
They danced a samba to Toto’s iconic song ‘Africa,’ in tribute to her husband’s nationality.
Explaining her husband’s absence from the crowd, Grainne said: " Leon's been at every show this series, but this week he got covid and unfortunately, that's just the world we are living in.”
Gráinne and John scored 17 from the judges.
Rugby ace Jordan Conroy and his partner Salome Chachua were next up with an emotional foxtrot dedicated to Jordan’s mother Jennie, who raised him and his sister as a single mother.
They danced to an aptly named song ‘Isn’t She Lovely’ by Stevie Wonder, and finished the moving dance routine by presenting his mother in the audience with a bunch of flowers.
Whilst the judges felt that it wasn’t his best performance, Jordan opened up about what the moment meant to him.
“It’s been a long tough road, but for me, it’s now more of a celebration. It was hard not to cry at the beginning. You’ve got to celebrate. It’s more of a celebration than a sob story. A little bit of nerves, it’s my mammy so I’ll always be a little boy at heart.”
Jordan and Salome scored 19 from the judges.
Sportsmen Nicolas Roche and Karen Byrne were the sixth couple on the dancefloor, with another emotional dance to the tune of ‘Hey Brother’ by Avicii .
Cycling champion Nicolas dedicated his dance tonight to his brother, Alexis and opened up about how in 2008, Alexis donated his bone marrow to his other brother, Florian, as he battled leukaemia.
Nicholas said: “I felt a lot of pressure, it’s been a tough rehearsal. The person who you dedicated your song to, is here all the way from France. You don’t want to mess it up. I thought it was quite emotional to dedicate the dance to my brother who saved my other brother's life.”
Nicolas and Karen scored 19 from the judges.
Singer Erica Cody dedicated her tango to her icon and childhood inspiration, Samantha Mumba.
She and her partner Denys Samson danced to one of Samantha’s most popular hits ‘Body II Body’.
Speaking afterwards, Erica fought back tears and said: “You can’t help but feel empowered when you have someone in your corner, who looks like you and tells you, you can do anything. It’s a real full circle for me, to do that for Samantha when she did it for me growing up. It’s such a journey, I’m really giving it my all.”
Erica and Denys scored 20 from the judges, their lowest score so far, as they said the performance was good, but not ‘Erica good’.
The Guest Act tonight were some of the cast of The Osmond’s Musical.
As no couple was eliminated, all the celebrity dancers will dance again in show seven next Sunday evening.
The two lowest scoring couples will have to dance their routine for a second time. The judges will then decide who will leave the competition.
