Ilona Maher was ready to show her moves — and some skin — on Dancing with the Stars.
In a TikTok video shared ahead of Dedication Night, which aired on Oct. 15, the Olympian, 28, said that she wanted her newest costume to bare it all — or at least close to all.
“I want you all to know that this week I went to costume design and told them, ‘Look, I want to be naked. I want to be as naked as is allowed on national television. All these other girls are showing skin. I want to show pretty much everything.’”
Filming herself in the mirror, the rugby player gave a full glimpse at her dress, which featured sheer fabric, crystal embellishments, waist-high slits on both sides and an open back.
“Boom. I’m doing this for all you girlies. I feel really good and sexy and pretty,” she said.
Maher and her partner Alan Bersten had quite the redemption after they came off of Metal Night on Oct. 8 with a discouraging score.
The pair danced their way to a higher score of 32/40 with a Rumba that the athlete said was dedicated to her rugby sevens team.
Chatting with PEOPLE after her performance, Maher reacted to all the support she received online after last week’s episode.
“It’s so great that I received so much positivity. I think for me it’s like, how can I translate that and get that into my own head and believe it and really have the confidence to go out there and trust myself that I can dance. It is just so wild and people are like, ‘Oh, she’s being so vulnerable.’ It was just such a natural thing for me to want to cry or feel that in that moment,” she said.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Maher has definitely proven to be a fan of a skin-baring fashion.
This past August, she made her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut in a variety of sexy swimsuits from chic bikinis to having a topless moment in the most daring one-piece of all. “I love that [rugby] showed me what I can do. It showed me how capable my body is and it’s not just like a tool to be looked at and objectified,” she said in her cover interview.
She’s also used her social media platform to talk about body confidence, including the highs and the lows.
In an honest TikTok video shared on September 22, she said: “I try to remember what my body does for me, how strong it is,” adding, “Just remember that our bodies are constantly changing and will constantly change for the rest of our lives.”
And she always tries to remind herself with this affirmation:“Give yourself some grace.”
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
Read the full article here
