No one has taken the internet by storm this year quite as much as Ilona Maher. The professional rugby player was all over social media over the summer when she represented Team USA at the Paris Olympics, and now she’s gone on to make her reality TV debut by participating on Dancing With The Stars.
Given Ilona’s incredible online presence, one where she consistently posts videos with a message of empowerment and encouragement, it’s no surprise that she’s amassed a large fan following. In a recent video interview, Ilona shared who had been blowing up her DMs the most.
Who Keeps Sliding Into Ilona’s DMs?
In a video interview with People, an interviewer asks Ilona who’s been DMing her thanks to her newfound surge in popularity from her Dancing With The Stars appearance. If it seems like the interviewer was hinting at whether Ilona had a possible Instagram-born romance in her future, her answer proved that that was anything but the case.
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Ilona went on to share who was really flooding her messages:
It’s all very positive moms. They’re all like, ‘I love what you’ve done for my daughter.’ I’m like, ‘Where’s the NFL players? Where have they gone? I thought there’d be more. No billionaires in here? Thought there’d be more.’
Ilona’s cheeky response made even the interviewer behind the camera laugh. If Ilona was hopeful that her ballroom debut would attract other professional athletes, it seems that she was met with a surprise about who was actually the most excited to send her a DM about it.
The Olympian did go on to say that she was very appreciative of the love that she got from her followers. “It’s okay, but I love you moms,” she assured them. “Keep sending me DMs. I love them,” she added, pointing two finger guns at the camera.
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Ilona’s Fans Continue To Be Proud Supporters
When viewers saw the short, funny clip from Ilona’s interview, they wasted no time in self-identifying as the supportive fans she was talking about. In the comments of the Instagram clip, social media users declared that they were exactly who she was referring to.
“I was like ‘I’ve definitely slid into her dms’ and then she said ‘it’s all positive moms’ and I was like oh yup there i am 😂” wrote one person, laughing at how specifically they matched Ilona’s description. “Positive moms are the hardest demographic to win over on Insta. I consider this a win 😂,” wrote another, pointing out that Ilona should feel honored to have secured such a fanbase.
“Bahaha…. It’s me, the positive mom! So proud of you ❤️” wrote yet another, just one more person adding to the flood of support for Ilona in the comments. Some of the commenters went so far as to act on Ilona seemingly expressing that she’d be interested in finding someone to date.
“Ok, who’s got a good eligible son for her?” said one, trying to put the mom network to use in order to generate potential bachelors. “But let’s also get her an amazing billionaire,” added another, referencing the second part of Ilona’s joke. Though some comments were more joking in tone than others, the consensus seemed to be that Ilona deserved someone who was nothing short of amazing, just like her.
One fan even suggested that their “supportive mom” circle might just be the best tool for helping Ilona find someone to date:
Ok but seriously what’s your type? Nobody loves playing matchmaker more than moms. We’re ready for the task!
While Ilona has yet to respond to any of these warm comments, no doubt she feels buoyed by the immense support shown to her by her fans.
Ilona’s Dancing With The Stars Journey Continues
As of this article’s publishing, Ilona remains a contestant on Dancing With The Stars with her dance partner, Alan Bersten. Though Ilona has had a few weeks when she’s appeared to struggle with her nerves or missing some of her moves, she continues to push forward in the competition — and, perhaps most importantly, continues to be vocal about facing her fears and forging ahead even after she’s made mistakes.
That is, Ilona continues to be a wonderful role model for young girls and people everywhere, intent on delivering a message of motivation no matter what she sets her sights on. Already in the Dancing With The Stars competition, she’s had some especially impressive moments, like flaunting her impressive strength and sharing videos of her lifting her partner Alan instead of the other way around.
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When it came to participating in the competition, Ilona shared, it was important for her to show others that even women with a body like hers could be seen as beautiful and learn how to dance gracefully. A huge part of her platform is working to destigmatize women who are athletic-looking and who have a lot of muscle as she does. She’s intent on showing people — especially young girls — that all bodies are capable of many things, and that all bodies can and should be considered beautiful, not just the thin ones.
No matter how long Ilona’s Dancing With The Stars journey lasts, no doubt those who are cheering her on will continue to do so long after her reality TV stint has ended. And, who knows? Maybe her TV journey will take her on to a dating show next. “I would actually watch The Bachelorette if Ilona was on it,” one commenter admitted, garnering support from others who felt the same.
It seems that those who are excited about Ilona just can’t stop pitching ways to help her out. “We do love you ❤️and what you’ve done for our daughters,” wrote one. “But someone get this gorgeous woman an NFL or NHL or better yet rugby player! Like am Australian rugby player 👏.”
Dancing with the Stars is a popular dancing competition reality TV show airing on ABC and Disney+. The series features various celebrities who pair with professional dancers to compete in front of a panel of judges. The US version of the UK TV show Strictly Come Dancing premiered in 2005 and was originally hosted by Tom Bergeron for its first 28 seasons.
- Release Date
- June 1, 2005
- Main Genre
- Reality
