Paudie Moloney Brushes Off Critics As Underdog Reaches Dancing With The Stars Final
With the Dancing with the Stars finale approaching, paudie moloney says the journey “means everything” and that he will be “dancing [his] heart out, ” brushing aside online debate over his place in the last episode.
Paudie Moloney Shrugs Off Online Backlash
The Limerick native, who has surged to the final as an underdog, says the support he meets daily far outweighs criticism on social media. He emphasized that in-person reactions have been uniformly positive and that he has largely tuned out commentary that his public popularity, rather than technical skill, kept him in the competition.
“I haven’t paid much attention to it, ” he said when asked about claims that viewer votes carried him through. “Nobody has come up to me in the street and said something negative. It has all been positive. ” He added a pointed rejoinder to the debate: “Opinions are like noses. Everybody has one… People are entitled to speak. I just don’t have to listen. ”
Amid suggestions that technically stronger contestants were eliminated while he advanced, he acknowledged the format’s jeopardy moments might not have favored him. He has not faced a judges’ dance-off and admitted that if he had, his run may have ended there. “If I was in a dance-off, it was good luck and thanks to Paudie… I got lucky, ” he said.
A Grueling Journey And A Personal Comeback
The retired prison officer describes the season as physically taxing and a “big commitment, ” but overwhelmingly positive. His path to the final has also been marked by a significant health turnaround. He underwent back surgery during the Covid-19 pandemic after pain became so severe he could not walk across a room. “I’ve never looked back, ” he said, calling the operation the best decision he has made. While hip issues had been debilitating, he said they never matched the challenges posed by his back before surgery.
Professional partner Laura Nolan pushed back on the idea that his progress should be judged on technical scores alone, noting that the show blends performance, personality, and improvement as part of the appeal. She contrasted the primetime format with competitive dance standards, where amateurs and professionals are never directly compared. On the show, she said, each contestant brings a distinct element to the floor, which is part of its entertainment value.
Hometown Momentum Lifts The Final Push
In Kilmallock, the anticipation has been likened to the build-up for an All-Ireland final. The groundswell is tangible: letters have arrived addressed simply to “Paudie Moloney, Dancing With the Stars, Kilmallock, Co Limerick. ” That backing, he says, has helped power an unlikely surge he never foresaw when the season began.
“I didn’t expect to stay in the competition beyond three or four weeks, ” he said. Now, with the last show in sight, his focus is singular. “What it means to me is everything because I’m going to throw everything at it, like I’ve always done… We’ll enjoy it, and I will be dancing my heart out. ”
As the underdog’s story continues into the final, paudie moloney remains clear about what brought him this far: resilience, a readiness to keep improving, and a base of support that, in his words, has been nothing but positive. With partner Laura Nolan, he heads into the last dance determined to embrace the moment and let the performance speak for itself.
