Teresa Mannion: Dancing is a big challenge … my nerves are dangling daily

The image of a windswept Teresa Mannion battling Storm Desmond on the Salthill promenade in Galway is one that will endure in popular memory for quite some time.

Now, just over one year on from the infamous report, the RTÉ reporter is more than happy to take on a more glamorous gig on Dancing with the Stars.

“Dancing is so magical. I love it. I absolutely love it – and it’s so much fun. What’s not to like about going into a studio with a professional dancer and learning to dance the tango?” she asks.

She made her dancing debut on the live show last week with a weather-themed tango that earned a respectable score of 16 from the judges. However the competition is stiff, and she placed near the bottom of the leaderboard. Does she still hope to lift the glitterball trophy?

“I would absolutely love to have the glitterball trophy, and I would love it for my partner,” she says.

“I would be very disappointed if I was the first person eliminated. I think anyone would be. I hope I get to stay in for a few weeks, because it is so much fun. It’s intense and challenging and full on. It’s such an amazing experience. I can’t believe I’m in this,” she says.

The show, modelled on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, has been popular with audiences so far, with over 1.2m viewers tuning in for the first episode. For the 11 celebrities taking part, practice for the show requires a high level of commitment.

“They like you to do about 12 hours a week – and even while you’re practising, they have cameras trained on you,” says Teresa. “My dance partner came to Galway last week and will come back and forth to help me manage the newsroom and family demands, which are all consuming.

“You do need to put that amount of practice in. I love dancing, but I have never had a formal dance class. It’s hugely out of my comfort zone.”

Indeed, the past year has been slightly outside the norm for Teresa. However, she insists that she received no negative backlash after becoming a viral sensation and has even used her platform to promote road safety with the RSA and another cause that affected her personally.

The reporter was making an appearance on the Ray D’Arcy Show and decided to share the story of her breast cancer diagnosis, which she had kept private.

“I didn’t say anything about it at the time. I didn’t want it to define me and I didn’t want to go public. Then I realised when I went on the Ray D’Arcy show, why not share my story? If a few people go and get a mammogram, then it’s job done,” she says.

She had no family history of cancer, and no symptoms, so the diagnosis came as a huge shock.

“When you turn 50, you get the letter. I just hadn’t done anything about it. It was lying on my cabinet for about six months. Then I started to feel guilty – Breastcheck was just around the corner. There was absolutely nothing wrong with me. I had no family history of breast cancer, I didn’t have a lump – I had nothing,” she says.

“It turned out that I had one of the worst kinds of cancer – I got the fright of my life. However, it was detected early and I had a tiny, tiny tumour, so I was lucky.”

The scare made Teresa reassess her own life – and seize the day. “When you have a brush with your health, it makes you sit up and go: ‘Life is short. You had a scare but you’re fine now. Go out and grab opportunities,’” she says. “Dancing is a big challenge … my nerves are dangling daily, but I’m having a blast. I never, ever thought I would do something like this.”

Meanwhile, her young sons Cian (18) and Tom (17) are growing accustomed to their mother’s newfound celebrity and dancing aspirations.

“They are very supportive even though it’s not their bag, really,” she says. “They will come to the show one of the nights, but they are probably a little bit mortified as well – hoping I won’t embarrass them too much, because they thought the hype around the weather video would never die down. Now I’m back with another project,” she laughs.

However, a necessary journey to the prom may be on the cards soon.

“I will have to bring John (my dance partner) down to the prom, where it all happened. I think it’s funny that there is a ballroom step called the promenade,” she muses. “We will probably do the promenade on the prom…”

Dancing with the Stars airs on RTÉ One on Sunday evenings.