The Ireland AM presenter has not been in the presenting industry very long but hopes that long may it continue as he welcomes the prospect of future TV opportunities
Ireland AM host Eric Roberts with Pro Dancer Arianna Favaro (Image: Kyran OBrien)
Eric Roberts has said he hopes to continue in the showbiz industry for a long time as he welcomes any future TV opportunities.
The Ireland AM presenter took on the role as weekend presenter last year, and still feels new to the industry.
He plans to stay presenting for a long time, but doesn’t necessarily expect any big opportunities from his current stint on Dancing With The Stars.
Speaking to RSVP, Eric said: “I don’t know how the higher ups look at these things, I’m still so new to the world of showbiz. I’m only on Ireland AM properly as a fully fledged reporter for the last six months and I’m still finding my feet there.
“If they start throwing TV shows at me, I’ll welcome them with open arms but I still feel so new to the industry. I’m still learning a lot. I feel like I’m only at the start of my career, so I hope to have a very long, very successful career in the industry. I’m so open to doing whatever it is.”
After topping the leaderboard on Sunday’s Dancing with the Stars, Eric has propelled himself to the top of the betting for this year’s Glitterball Trophy, with oddsmakers declaring him a favourite. However, he doesn’t hold much stock in the odds.
“I think it’s added pressure in the lad’s group chat because they all have stuck a tenner on me from early on!” Eric laughed. “But I’m trying not to pay attention to it. It fluctuates week to week; last week Jordan was the favourite, the week before Philip was the favourite, Katelyn’s been the favourite. We don’t pay too much attention to it, we’re honestly in our own little bubble here and I feel like our worlds have become so small since starting the competition.
“We rehearse, we go home, I go back to my wife and my son Rian and that’s all I’m doing at the moment. I’m not aware of what’s happening on the outside world or listening to the noise. We’re just trying to give it our all every week. Arianna [Favaro, pro dance partner] is just like a drill sergeant in here for four or five hours everyday, so that’s all I’m thinking about at the moment.”
However, Eric has noticed messages of support and kind words from viewers as new people discover who he is through the show.
“That’s one of the incredible things about it,” he said. “It’s a whole new audience. I’m used to having my socials there and the community that I’ve built over the last few years and this has opened me up to a whole new audience.
“But I’m so thankful to have been well received. I know in the past, it hasn’t always been the case but we’ve had nothing but overwhelmingly nice comments and it’s been incredible. I’m so, so happy with how it’s going and it’s just a credit to Arianna and the routines that she’s choreographing and how much fun we’re having. I’m loving this experience and I’m so, so grateful to be involved.”
With the final in sight in just a few weeks, the competition is starting to heat up between the contestants.
“I’d love to say it’s not,” joked Eric. “We used to have such a fun show and tell of each other’s dances and now it’s everything under wraps. There’s definitely a competitive edge coming out in people but it’s understandable, everyone wants to perform their best every weekend and keep a few tricks up your sleeve.”
He added: “I want to be here to the bitter end now. I want to be there in the final. It’s so hard seeing people go every week, we’re building such a camaraderie and friendships, but I think we’re all in the same frame of mind now; we want to be here until the end.”
Dancing With The Stars continues on Sunday at 6:30pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.rsvplive.ie ’
