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"This guy for sure is an athlete,"- Ilona Maher opens up about first impression of DWTS partner Alan Bersten
Ilona Maher recently shared her moments with her DWTS partner Alan Bersten in the “House of Maher” podcast hosted by the Maher sisters. Alan Bersten, the first guest of the podcast, spoke about the DWTS tour, which spanned from January to April 2025 and covered 69 cities.
Ilona Maher shared about the athletic mentality of Alan Bersten and how he will do more rugby-based workouts with her. She recalled commenting on one of his posts, saying,
“I hope he can keep up with me in the gym”,
To which someone replied,
“Alan doesn’t need to keep up with you; he’s a dancer.”
Ilona Maher stated that Alan Bersten was an athlete and thet he was going to keep up with her. She further added that, "If I am doing another rep, he’s going to do another rep; if I’m adding more weight, he is going to add more weight. He is pushing me too. Dancers are athletes, too, guys."
They finished as runners-up in DWTS, scoring 114 out of 120.
Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten open up about their journey of self love and insecurities
Later in the podcast, Alan Bersten talked about how anyone appearing on TV faces body issues. He commented about his journey and said,
“A dancer for sure, because I think, again, the dancer has a mould that they have to fit in. I definitely feel like I have had body dysmorphia. You put so much on yourself that you don’t even know what really looks good, but you are like, Oh, I don’t feel good. I don’t look good; this person doesn’t think I look good, so I clearly don’t look good.“
He continued,
“I have learnt a lot to love myself more. I realised for me going to the gym isn’t just about looking good, but it mentally makes me feel good.” After the workout I am not only proud of myself; the endorphins are running, and mentally I feel better, and it makes my mood better.”
Alan Bersten admitted that he still looks in the mirror to ensure that he fits the mould, looks good, and maintains a six-pack. Ilona Maher countered, saying, It's part of your job, and it's about how you look, too, and how you move it.
Towards the end of the podcast, Alan Bersten opened up about body dysmorphia, recalling how he used to post shirtless photos when he was younger.
“When I look back, I was not confident in myself, and I just wanted to be shirtless, and then I realised and went for a long time without posting shirtless because I was like, ‘Why am I doing this? Why am I insecure about this? Who am I posting it for?’” he said.
Alan Bersten continued, saying he eventually got in shape and started posting more, not because he looked a certain way, but because he set a goal and achieved it. It's better to feel good as opposed to looking good, he concluded.
As the DWTS tour wrapped up, he is looking forward to next season, and he still wants to explore other things.
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