JACK Woolley joked ‘this dancing is harder than it looks’ after his latest day of rehearsing for Dancing With The Stars.
The new season of the RTE favourite will return to our TV screens every Sunday from January 5.
Every year contestants report breathlessly about how exhausting the training for it is – and it’s evident this even applies if you’re a two-time Olympian!
Taekwondo fighter Jack showcased how gruelling preparation work with his partner Alex Vladimirov has been on his Instagram account.
In one snap he quipped: “POV You’ve signed up for Dancing With The Stars even though you can’t dance.”
A follow-up pic did at least assure followers ‘Okay, maybe just maybe I’m strong enough for a few small lifts’ as he did his best Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing impression.
The third and final insight into what goes into getting ready to strut your stuff on national television showed him recovering in compression boots.
In a chat with SunShowbiz last week, the Tallaght man spoke of his belief that he could turn his impressive moves into grooves as he makes the transition from the martial arts mat to the dancefloor.
The 26-year-old said: “I’m excited. This is something completely new for me.
“I think Taekwondo is going to help because I’m very flexible and I know my body, but remembering the steps is completely different.
“With Taekwondo, I’m standing in front of somebody who’s moving and I’m responding to what they’re doing.
“I’m fighting them and it’s so unpredictable. But with this, you’ve got the set steps that you have to do in time.
“That’s going to be completely new for me.
“Luckily, I have a nice start because I’ve got the athleticism, but I can’t take that for granted.”
He added his biggest fear will be getting bronzed each week.
Jack joked: “I was most nervous about getting a spray tan, to be honest!
“I was afraid it was going to be a bit splotchy and I’d look ridiculous. But the first one worked out well, so who knows?
“I might be a bit of a diva after this, getting a spray tan and my hair and make-up done every week after the show! I’m just embracing it at the moment.”
In 2021, Jack made history becoming Ireland’s first-ever Taekwondo Olympian at the Tokyo Games.
He finished 11th overall after he was defeated in the last 16 by Lucas Gomez of Argentina.
This year he performed admirably at his second Olympic Games in Paris.
He narrowly missed out on a quarter-final spot in the men’s 58kg Taekwondo after defeat by Azerbaijan’s Gashim Magomedov — and then was eliminated later in the repechage for a place in the bronze medal match when he lost 2-0 to Spain’s Adrian Vincente Yunta.