I had panic attacks, I had no idea how mentally tough it would be, reveals Dancing With The Stars’ Kevin McGahern

KEVIN McGahern has told how he was having panic attacks near the end of Dancing With The Stars after becoming their “last minute sub”.

Incredibly the Cavan funnyman made it all the way to the semi-finals, despite his lack of preparation.

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Kevin praised his dance partner LauraCredit: Kyran O’Brien/kobpix

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Kevin and wife Siobhan Cassidy

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Kevin, was Christmas shopping with kids including, daughter Wallis, above, when he got the emergency call from DWTSCredit: RTE Grabs

The Irish Sun first revealed in January how DWTS bosses axed an Irish reality star from the top dance show after he failed to turn up for rehearsals with dance partner Laura Nolan.

Producers then frantically began ringing around for a replacement, just 24 hours before publicity shots and the opening video for the series was being filmed in December.

Kevin told The Irish Sun: “Just being a sub at the last minute was kind of fun. I had 30 seconds to think about it. I kinda liked not having too much time to think about it”.

However, the father-of-two admits doing the show took a terrible toll on him as the weeks progressed.

Kevin said: “I knew it was going to be tough but I had no idea how mentally tough it was going to be.

“After the first month I was flying physically but during the last month, when they started introducing two dances, my head was just crumbling. I needed help. I couldn’t deal with it psychologically.

“I also never had to deal with stage fright before. I’ve always been grand on stage. Nothing has ever really fazed me too much but I was going in for rehearsal on a Saturday and my brain was going blank.

“I was basically having panic attacks on the last couple of weeks. I really wish I had prepared myself for that sort of thing”.

The TV host and actor paid tribute to dance partner Laura for getting him through on the night last month they were axed from the show, scoring 27 points — their highest-ever score.

But they bowed out after losing the dance-off to rivals Suzanne Jackson and Michael Danilczuk.

Looking back Kevin revealed how he struggled to cope after leaving the show.

He said: “You are on this bullet train. Seven days a week and no time off. It’s your life for four months. Then it stops and you realise, I have nothing to do this week.

“I remember Laura’s boyfriend Matthew (McCabe), who was in season five, warning me ‘you better prepare yourself, This will be your entire life. Then two days later, no one will give a sh* about Dancing With The Stars.’ The world just moves on so quickly.”

SURPRISE DWTS CALL

Rival Suzanne confirmed how she signed on for DWTS last October, met dance partner Michael in November, and they were soon in training for the show telling us “We (contestants) all started around the same time.”

Not so for Kevin, who was Christmas shopping with wife Siobhan, and their children, daughter Wallis, two, and baby son, Jesse, when he got the emergency call from DWTS.

Kevin said: “I absolutely wasn’t fit enough. I’d just signed up for a consultation with a gym. Then I got the call from Dancing With The Stars”.

The stand-up man revealed he was told nothing about the axed contestant he replaced. Kevin said: “I literally haven’t a clue. Clearly they wanted to keep it under wraps so I have absolutely no idea”.

However, Kevin’s performances earned praise from viewers and the show’s producers.

AN RTE insider told us: “Over six season and so many contestants, what Kevin McGahern achieved coming so late on to Dancing With The Stars makes him exceptional.

“Not only did he not have any preparation. He managed to make it to the semi-finals of the contest.

SUCCESS WITH PARTNER LAURA

“The producers of the show will always be grateful to him for stepping in.”

Kevin, 36, said: “That’s lovely to hear. I was happy to come in and help. I know how hard it is to make anything so I try and do my best.

“I have a lot of respect for people on both sides of the camera, especially the crew.

“I did make it to the semi-finals but at the start my only aim was not to go in the first round”.

But weeks of quicksteps, salsas and American Smooths followed as Kevin and partner Laura, 28, danced into the hearts of the nation, winning a new following for the former Republic Of Telly host.

Asked if he thought the contestant axed from DWTS had missed out on a celebrated run on the nation’s biggest TV show, Kevin said: “Of course they missed out. I had one of the best experiences of my life. You get that from any kind of challenge that really tests you. But when you get through it. You feel elated”.

The dad-of-two, who is happily married to wife Siobhan, admits being asked about the ‘Strictly Curse’ took some getting used too.

Kevin said: “Well it’s a weird question to ask somebody. Are you worried you are going to have an affair? It’s a really inappropriate question.

“It’s like office Christmas parties. There’s a stereotypical office party where people make bad decisions and get off with each other. But if you told friends, or someone you just met, ‘Hey I’m off to my office party’ and they replied ‘Are you worried you are going to have an affair’. I mean you’d think, ‘What the f* is wrong with you? Why would you ask that question?”

But Kevin was never going to fall foul of the so-called Strictly curse, by stressing he was very much in love with Siobhan, and that he was no competition for Laura’s boyfriend Matthew, who he said was ‘chiselled out of marble’.

Kevin joked: “We are not in the same league or even playing the same sport”.

Since his stint on DWTS came to an end, Kevin has been resting at home, but keen to support mental help initiatives, he will be taking part in a sponsored walk as part of Darkness Into Light in his home county of Cavan on May 6.

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Funnyman Kevin with fellow Republic of Telly hosts Edwin and Joanne in 2016

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Daughter Wallis gives baby Jesse a cuddleCredit: RTE Grabs