It's Fright Night this Sunday on Dancing With The Stars and former Miss Universe Ireland Aishah Akorede is steeling herself for a ghoulish evening.
The 25-year-old Kildare woman has made it to this week’s semi-final - after facing no less than three dance-offs in recent weeks - and tomorrow evening, she and her professional partner Robert Rowiński will dance a Foxtrot to Black Magic by Little Mix.
But as well as pressure on the dancefloor, she’s also having to deal with the DWTS crew psyching the dancers up - all in the name of good television, naturally.
"I don’t like horror movies," Aishah says. "At any sign of a jump scare, I am not the one! We have had a lot of pranks played on us this week as well - and that has left me with my voice nearly gone a few times from screaming."
She adds, "People are jumping out, scaring us in clown costumes. And spiders . . . aaaaaaaggggh! I’ve mentioned that I’m scared of spiders so there are toy spiders all over the studio.
"I’m something I’m getting used to but I’m immersing myself into Fright Night. I am excited for it."
Aishah may have finished each episode of this series high up on the judges’ scoreboard but she has also somehow had to face more dance-offs than her fellow dancers.
However, she is delighted she’s made it this far.
"I am so lucky to be in this competition so a dance-off really isn’t that bad. I’m like, `girl, keep going - no matter what happens'," Aishah says.
"I’ve always been the kind of person who says don't let anything knock you down, use it as ammunition, use it as a reason to keep pushing yourself to do better and my only competition is myself.
"I always try to do better than the week before so that’s always my goal in life and I guess that’s how I push myself and I always think about my faith as well. I have a huge connection to god.
"I didn’t think I’d be in DWTS let along the semi-final. To me, it’s a win already but that doesn’t mean I still don’t want to win the whole contest. Hahaha."
Speaking about last week’s elimination of DWTS’ joker in the pack, Kevin Dundon, Aishah says, "I am sad to see Kevin go. I've been sad to see every single person go, but obviously Kevin has been like a pinnacle member of the group. He's been like, very like . . . he’s Kevin!
"He’s like everyone's dad. I say Grandad - he'd probably kill me for saying that. So yeah, it is really sad to see him gone in terms of being in the dance off with him. I did not want to be the person to be sending Kevin home."
And Aishah's biggest supporter is in the studio audience every week - her boyfriend, Kamsi Emezie.
"He’s a great support," she says. "He’s there every Sunday in the audience watching me and afterwards everybody always tells me `your boyfriend was there screaming for you' so that you could keep going, keep pushing, keep fighting.
"I am really lucky to have him. He is genuinely the most supportive human being on this planet. I’m a lucky girl."
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