It seems like everything gymnast Rhys McClenaghan touches turns to gold these days. Not only is he a World, European and Commonwealth champion at pommel horse, last summer he captured the hearts of the nation when he secured a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Paris – a true comeback story for the Co. Down native after disappointment at Tokyo 2020.
If that wasn’t enough, just weeks ago, he and professional dancer Laura Nolan were named winners of RTÉ’s Dancing With The Stars after wowing viewers at home with their slick and polished dance routines every week.
Here, RSVP catches up with Rhys about the euphoric win and his time on the show, as well as adjusting to life in the spotlight. The multi-talented athlete also reveals what lies next for him in both his professional and personal life, between gearing up for more gymnastics competitions and moving into his new home with his longtime love, Emilee Carr.
Read more: Laura Nolan leaves Ireland for life in America after Dancing With The Stars win
Rhys, Congratulations on winning Dancing With The Stars! How did you and Laura feel when your names were called out?
It was absolutely incredible. After we finished our showdance, Laura and I just felt fantastic and said to ourselves we gave everything we possibly could on the dance floor. We had a chat before the results were called out and said we were so proud of ourselves and we should be happy no matter what happens. But to win, of course, was the cherry on top of something we were already so delighted with. As with all of our performances throughout the show, we were super proud before we even knew the result. But to be named Dancing With The Stars champions 2025, it is just amazing.
What have you been up to since the show has ended?
I’m back into full-time training and making that my sole focus. It’s all go for my career as I’m getting stuck into preparing for the World Championships. My days are now just gymnastics, not dancing and gymnastics. I’m looking forward to what’s next in sport but, I won’t lie, I’ll really miss dancing. When I was announced as the winner, I got a really similar feeling to how I feel when I compete in gymnastics, and I honestly didn’t think anything would ever come close to that. That is the power of dance and expressing yourself through movements. Our showdance in particular was an incredible experience and I’ll never forget it as long as I live.
You were compared to taekwondo star Jack Woolley throughout the series as you are both Olympians. Did you get the chance to speak to him after you won?
Yes. All of the contestants were incredible throughout the entirety of the show. I think it’s so admirable to step outside of your comfort zone and normal career path to do something completely new. We had a mutual respect for each other because we understood the journey we were going on. I said congratulations to him, of course, and all of the other finalists.
Will you be incorporating any of your newfound dance moves into your gymnastics routines?
To be honest, it’s hard to fit dance moves into gymnastics because they are such different things. But if anything, I learned the importance of enjoying the performance. Dancing is now something which I feel passionate about.
Why do you think the public chose you as the winner?
I can’t say for sure; I don’t know what the public were paying attention to. I hope the viewers just enjoyed the dances. That needs to be the first priority for why someone is voting for you, they need to enjoy watching you perform and I hope that was the case for me.
There will always be criticism on social media and this year some fans complained that the competition was “a fix” and that Jack, or other finalists Danny O’Carroll and Kayleigh Trappe were “robbed”. What would you say in response to those opinions?
That’s always going to be the case with social media, isn’t it? It’s incredible what those guys did and everyone should be very proud of themselves. I know if I didn’t win the glitterball I would still be proud of myself. The standard was so high, it was an incredible season, everyone raised the bar. It could have been anyone who lifted the glitterball trophy.
Your girlfriend Emilee, as well as your family, were often spotted in the audience cheering you on.
It was a really unique situation for me. I would normally never look in the crowd and wave at my parents or family on a competition day in gymnastics, but I could this time and it was a really nice thing to do. I loved seeing my parents, girlfriend, brother and friends in the audience each week. It was a really nice feeling and they supported me the whole way.
Speaking of Emilee, you and her are teenage sweethearts. What’s next for your relationship?
We bought a house and have been renovating it, so we’ll be moving into it soon. It’s the first time we’ll be living together so it’s a really exciting time in both of our lives. I’m really looking forward to spending as much time with her as possible and starting a new chapter of our lives together.
Can it be hard to make time for your relationship when your career is so time consuming?
Emilee is a gymnastics coach and I’m a gymnast and, to be honest, they are just unsociable hours. I’ve got a strange schedule and she works during the evenings. The only time we would see each other is before we go to bed at night so it’s going to be really nice to go back to the same place together. We can’t wait.
You are one of Ireland’s most recognisable sports stars, how did it feel transitioning into the world of showbiz?
It’s a completely different world. I’m used to being a gymnast, but then all of a sudden I was in this fast moving showbiz television show. It’s definitely a different world for me but a new experience too and that had been one of the motivators I had when I signed up – to experience something completely different. And I feel I got that.
Would you like to lean more into showbiz and media now that you have won a reality competition?
I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t something I would be interested in, but it just depends on what it would be. Anything I do, I absolutely want to put 100% effort into it. So I want to make sure I really enjoy what I’m doing and that I’m passionate about it. For me, dancing ticked that box, so it was fantastic to do that. I don’t know what opportunities might come my way but I’ll be open to them anyway. Let’s see.
Read the full interview with Rhys in this month's issue of RSVP Magazine, on shelves nationwide now.
