Dancing with the Stars' Aishah Akorede has said while she wouldn't consider herself to be competitive that doesn't mean she's "not in it to win it".
The model and beauty-pageant winner said she "feels more at ease" after winning positive praise from the judges and landing in third place on last week's leaderboard with her professional partner Robert Rowiński.
"I feel more at ease now that we've done the first show," she said. "With the positive feedback and with being third on the leaderboard that does add a bit more pressure, so the nerves are probably stemming from there."
The Leixlip native said people assume that she's very competitive because of her pageant background, but insists she's "always enjoyed the growth of the journey more than anything".
"With these dances we're going to make so many mistakes but we're going to learn from them. That's what I'm most excited for - but that doesn't mean I'm not in it to win it," she laughed.
"I do want to win it, and I feel like after the week I had last week, it has made me really, really, really want this a lot more. Honestly, the adrenaline is just so high and I'm really excited. I'm ready to turn it up a notch," she added.
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Akorede is currently taking on her second Masters in Law at the University of Law in England, "I do the classes online, usually in the studio on my breaks," she said.
In 2022, Akorede appeared on British series Beauty and the Geek on Discovery+ hosted by Mollie King and Matt Edmondson, which she went on to win.
When asked how she spent the £50,000 (€59,500) prize money, she said she put it towards her studies and saved the rest.
"I haven't spent any of it - well, some of it is going towards the current degree I'm doing now - but apart from that, I haven't touched it. I'm saving because I'm very responsible most of the time," she said.
Akorede revealed she's "still besties with the girls from the show" and has invited them to watch her live on Dancing with the Stars over the next few weeks.
"A lot of them are going to come and watch it live if I'm still in it on week 4," she said.
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Discussing the impact the show had on her, she said: "The Geeks on the show taught me a lot about myself. It was hard seeing how out of touch they were with social situations.
"I used to be somebody who suffered from social anxiety but some of them have never held a girl's hand or hugged them. I feel like just being able to see them grow outside and behind-the-scenes was heartwarming," she said.
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