He may have been the first celeb to exit Dancing with the Stars – but Mickey Joe Harte reckons he's "a better person" as a result of participating in the show.
The Donegal singer-songwriter and his pro dance partner Daniela Roze became the first couple to be eliminated from the current run of the dancing competition on Sunday night.
Despite putting in his best performance from the three shows, it wasn’t enough to prevent him and Daniela from finishing bottom of the pile when all the votes were counted.
Afterwards, Mickey Joe said: "I felt when we were in the final three, I knew Kevin’s vote was going to be very strong and I knew Danny’s vote would hold up, so I prepared myself for the worst at that stage.
"I’m just disappointed that I didn’t get through for a few more weeks. And it’s Daniela’s first year so I wanted to stick around for Daniela and tried to do the best I could.
"That’s it really," he added. "You don’t want to be the first out."
Equally disappointed, pro dancer Daniela Roze smiled broadly when asked what it was like working with Mickey Joe. "It was amazing," she insisted.
"There are so many admirable qualities in this man. He’s super hard-working and so dedicated. He put his whole life on hold for Dancing with the Stars.
"He was in the studio practically every day . . . Working with this man has been such a pleasure and I could’ve have asked for a better partner for my first time on Dancing with the Stars.
"We just got on so well. Our personalities matched brilliantly, and there wasn’t a moment in the studio where we had a disconnect."
Agreeing with Daniela, Mickey Joe added: "I’m a batter person from this. It’s all positive. And while it wasn’t a good night for us, we had a good dance."
He also noted "all the friendships we’ve made on Dancing with the Stars. Myself and Danny and Kevin . . ."
Daniela interjected, saying: "We call them the dangerous trio. They’re triple trouble."
Laughing, Mickey Joe continued: "They’re friendships you’d never make in a million years. You’re kind of thrown into this pot of people. And you end up coming out of it with friends."
The one regret Mickey Joe has with his early elimination is that he’s going to miss out on the Dancing with the Stars Dedication Week.
It would’ve marked a very personal moment for him and his family.
"I was hoping to get to the Dedication Week because my dedication would’ve been to my son, who made the transition from female to male.
"That was in week five, so I was hoping that I would get that far. After that I didn’t care. Well, not that I didn’t care - I would’ve been very, very pleased to do that.
"We hadf a nice dance p[planned and Percy my son would’ve been involved in that. There’s an important story to tell, and it just would’ve been nice to be able to do that, for him and for ourselves.
"And for people out there that are going through that or thinking about it. Maybe just need that little bit of support and encouragement.
"Unfortunately, it didn’t happen, but we might find another way."
"It’s one of those things," he adds. "That was my initial goal, for obvious reasons."
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