'It took a lot out of me, but also gave me so much,' Maher exclusively tells Parade of her stint on 'Dancing With the Stars.'
Ilona Maher is getting candid about her future with Dancing With the Stars.
The Olympian, 28, opened up about the subject while chatting exclusively with Parade alongside her sisters, Olivia Maher and Adrianna Maher, about their new podcast, "House of Maher."
"I don't know if I could do that," Ilona tells Parade. "It was hard. It was really a lot of work, and I just — some people are naturally good at some other things. I'm just more naturally inclined to run fast and hit hard than I am to swivel my hips. So, I might do it, but I'd need some convincing, I think."
Ilona competed on Season 33 of the long-running dance competition show. She and her partner, Alan Bersten, placed second in the finals, while Joey Graziadei and pro Jenna Johnson took home the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.
"It was very hard," she continues. "It was seven days a week, and it took a lot out of me, but also gave me so much. I think it was great [to do the DWTS 'Goodbye Tour'] for a little bit, but now I'm like, 'Okay, that was awesome.' But I'm also now so excited for all [the] other things that are going to come up, whether it's back to rugby or [doing] more in media. I think that the world's my oyster, and I have so much more I want to do now."
Though Ilona's future with the DWTS franchise is up in the air, the rugby star has a new venture to focus on: her "House of Maher" podcast with sisters Adrianna and Olivia, who tell Parade that teaming up together was a no-brainer for the trio.
"I love talking to my sisters. It's my favorite thing to do," Olivia says. "And this was just a way to kind of bring that to the world as well, and to allow people to get to know us a little bit more. It was just so special, and to be able to build something like this with my sisters. If we're making one person laugh, or inspiring one person or sharing our journey, and it inspires someone, some other girl, to go out and try something new, then we've done a good job."
The Maher sisters' new podcast is brought to listeners by Wave Sports & Entertainment, which is also responsible for Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce's hit podcast, "New Heights." Though Ilona, Olivia and Adrianna haven't received any calls from the brothers as of yet, Jason's wife Kylie Kelce, who hosts the "Not Gonna Lie" podcast, gave them a ring and left a message of encouragement.
"We haven't had any calls, but Kylie did leave us a really wonderful message congratulating us on the podcast and just wishing us a bright future, and that she's supporting us," Adrianna tells Parade. "So that was really wonderful."
New episodes of “House of Maher” are available on Tuesdays on the @HouseofMaher YouTube channel, and all podcast streaming platforms.
