Miriam Mullins: There is still a stigma with influencers getting opportunities like DWTS
Miriam Mullins: It actually surprised me how supportive people have been. Picture: Brian McEvoy
Dancing with the Stars contestant Miriam Mullins says has been blown away by the support she has received since the show began earlier this month, particularly from people in her home county.
“It's just been really positive, everyone's been so nice. Where I live at home down in Cork, all the local businesses are sharing me going on Dancing with the Stars [on social media] and saying to vote for me.
“The local support as well as the support from my [online] audience has been really, really good — it actually surprised me how supportive people have been.”
Mullins, who has over two million followers on TikTok and also presents on Cork's RedFM, said she expected some backlash as she thought the public wouldn’t warm to an influencer.
“Going into it I was very apprehensive. I didn't know what people were gonna say because I feel like there still is a stigma with influencers and influencers getting opportunities, but I've literally had the best response ever. It's been so amazing.”
She said she worried her mental health would be impacted by the experience as she would be opening herself up to a wider audience.
“I'm so used to just sitting at home in my room on my own making content and that's for my audience,” she explains.
“I suppose going into this, again because I'm an influencer and there's a lot of stigma around that still, people don't understand it. I was just a little bit worried [about how the audience would react]. I didn't know what to expect, and I try not to worry about those kinds of things but it's always in the back of your mind, especially when it's a show that people have to vote on.
“The voting is a massive part of the show and it's, I guess, a bit of a popularity contest. I was a small bit worried about that, that people would have a bit of a not-very-nice response, but it's actually just been, quite frankly, the opposite, which is amazing. And people have been so supportive.”
She said although she is missing home, her partner Tiaan Heyns and her loved ones — particularly her beloved dog — while filming, Mullins says she would not rule out a permanent move to Dublin for work. However, one local commitment is non-negotiable for her in the meantime.
“At home in Cork, I play with a local football club, and that's a massive thing. That's a massive anchor pulling me down and leaving me stay in Cork. I love my football club. I've been playing with it for years. That's one thing I do to get away from everything: get away from the phone, get away from social media. I go there twice a week, play a match once a week with the girls, have a bit of craic. That keeps me grounded and helps with my mental health.”
Dancing with the Stars continues Sunday evening on RTÉ One, when Miriam Mullins and Montel Hewson will be dancing the Foxtrot to ‘Heaven’ by Niall Horan.
