Ilona Maher had a 2024 that brought equal amounts of struggle and greatness! But despite everything, she continued to rise. Ilona started the year at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. At the Games, she scored tries in all three group stage games. The team lost to New Zealand in the semifinals, but made a comeback in the bronze medal game. They then defeated Australia and won bronze. It was just the beginning of the hectic year ahead!

Fast forward to the present; Ilona Maher was there “Dancing with the Stars” for weeks! She even made it to the semi-finals. Ilona, ​​​​next to her dance partner Alan BerstenHe then played the paso doble and the Viennese waltz. And boy oh boy, did they shine! The duo achieved a score of 57/60. This also meant that Ilona Maher was officially a finalist, while the glitz and glamor of DWTS is undeniably enchanting. It turns out that Ilona faced setbacks behind this trip. One of them was actually while the world was watching!

Ilona Maher’s mother speaks out about the truth behind the national television debacle!

As a rugby player, Ilona Maher undoubtedly exudes an aura of absolute strength. And when she stepped onto the dance floor, her flow and rhythm didn’t come easily. In fact, during week four of Dancing with the Stars, she experienced a moment of vulnerability that went deep. Ilona and Alan performed a jive at Quiet Riot this week “Cum on, feel the noise.” Unfortunately, Ilona stumbled in the middle of the performance!

This interrupted the flow of the performance. The judges followed with brutal honesty. While all the judges praised her passion, they couldn’t overlook the missteps. ““You are great,” Judge Carrie Ann Inaba calmed down. But those words weren’t enough to take anything away Bruno Toniolis say: “I love the wild and wonderful… But I’m sorry, darling, you’ve made mistakes so many times.” The moment was heartbreaking and the world felt it when they saw the smile disappear from Ilona’s face!

The performance was bad, but what made it worse was the fact that it all took place at a time when Ilona was facing internet music. Trolls targeted her because she looked “masculine” and constantly judged her appearance. Many even claimed that she couldn’t dance and move rhythmically with a muscular body. And backstage, the pressure of the performance that had just ended completely took over! Ilona Maher cried as she spoke during an interview with Julianne Hough. So why did it happen?

Recently, Ilona’s mother, Mieneke Maher, was on the Got It From My Momma Podcast, where she then spilled the tea about the collapse! Mieneke continued: “There were just so many things happening. Ilona started with three years of training for the Olympic Games. Then it was about going to the Olympics.” And from her mother’s point of view, Ilona managed the whole thing while balancing “two full-time jobs.” One “Being a professional athlete” and the other is a “Social media content creator.” The thing is: Ilona didn’t press pause after that either.

In fact, she stayed in Paris after the Olympics to celebrate with her team. But also because Ilona had to fulfill some contractual obligations. Afterwards, Ilona should take a break. “She was supposed to come home on Monday, her birthday, but that didn’t happen because she was visiting Seth Meyers,added Mieneke. One would think that Ilona would at least take a break now! However, the answer is a resounding no.

“By Seth Meyers she went to the Sports Illustrated swimsuit photo shoot. She finally made it home on Thursday. We had a big party at the airport, she had Friday off,“ revealed her mother. And guess what happens after that? Ilona Maher travels to Los Angeles and begins her journey with Dancing With The Stars.“Everything was bubbling – the thought of disappointing their fans, Alan and us – and in that moment it all came out.” Ilona’s mother added. But soon Ilona Maher’s mother flew to LA to be there for her.

Watching Ilona from afar, unable to be by her side, only made it worse. “I can’t come to see my child” said Mieneke. Nevertheless, she flew in and Ilona has been in top form ever since. And her next appearance may be the most important one yet! And Mieneke had something to say about it too!

Ilona Maher’s mother defends her daughter before the “Boss Dancer” appearance!

The final is just around the corner and there is no chance to slow down or make mistakes. In fact, her mother understood the journey and the trolls and talked about why it’s really a great thing that her daughter made it this far. “Dancing is not her comfort zone” Mieneke shared. “She wants to do it, do it right and make everyone proud.” And what about Ilona? Is she looking forward to it?

Ilona Maher recently wrote an emotional post for her partner Alan Bersten on Instagram. “This experience will stay with me for the rest of my life… Let’s give it our all one last time this week,“, she wrote. The duo will perform a freestyle and a release dance. And while Ilona seems emotional, her partner is confident that she will make it to the finale!

So much so that Bersten went on to say: “I want Ilona to just continue to be Ilona.” Meanwhile, Ilona continued: “I really want to step into my final role as a dancer – the final boss dancer.” With everything on the line, Ilona Maher is ready to leave it all on the dance floor. The world is watching closely as the finale airs on November 26th.