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Cape Town – On Sunday night actress Juanita de Villiers became the 6th celebrity contestant to be voted out of Dancing with the Stars SA on M-Net (DStv 101).
Channel24 spoke with Juanita, who was paired with professional dancer Johan Dippenaar. She shares about learning to say "no", feeling sexy in a slimmer body, bonding and making real friends with the dancers - and what unnerved her a bit when she arrived at the ballroom dancing set on Saturday.
Is there anything you think you could have done differently?
No, I think we worked really hard during the week to get the technique and the dancing as well as we can. And then it depends on whether people liked it. I think from my side I'm so happy and so thankful for what we've done and Johan was such an amazing teacher also. I couldn't ask for more.
How do you feel about being voted out?
I'm disappointed for sure but I also know how it works and I understand that it depends on voters and people who are engaged with you and love you. My dance wasn't maybe good enough or they couldn't connect with me. It doesn't matter, you know, as long as I've done my best, and I really feel last night was my best performance in general, so I'm so, so happy.
What has the experience been like for you being part of this show?
I’ve learnt that I'm much stronger than what I thought I was. You can handle a lot more stuff and your body is such an amazing thing to have and to push. I think the thing I've learnt the most about myself and my personality is how much further I can push myself. The whole experience was just amazing. I'm so unbelievably thankful for this platform, for my career, but also personally. It also brought people together, and my support system together and helping me and I just saw how people loved me and that is beautiful.
What do you think of the judges?
The judges are great and they have to be there because they help people who don't know what the technique is supposed to be – that’s their job. And I'm glad that they're there and they've done what they've done. I was a bit confused last night with the comments but I think I understand what they tried to say; if your technique is there but you don't "perform" it more, it's not good enough but I feel that I really performed.
What was the hardest for you?
Saturdays when you get to the stage for the first time and they play the song for the first time with a live band – I think that was the hardest for me, listening to this track that you are rehearsing, and then on a Saturday morning you get there, and the music sounds totally different. That was the hardest for me, just to get your ear to go "don't worry, don't panic, you know what you're doing, you'll be fine".
How did your body change?
Ha ha ha. Wow, I feel like a million bucks! I've lost so much weight and I think that's a very big plus point for me. But ja, my body changed in a very great way. I'm loving this body so I'm really going to try and not eat too much and leave the chocolates alone now! Ja, I've lost centimetres and I'm toned and I think that's what dancing does to you - it develops muscles you've never had and you look pretty and sexy!
What did you not expect about this journey?
I really just fell in love with all the contestants – and even the professional dancers. I didn't think that I would really get to know them, because you're only there the weekends but you're under such pressure and you really get to know the people. And I think that was such a lovely surprise for me also to really get to know people and to get to love them - they're amazing and talented and such gifted people. That was one unexpected thing for me.
What did you learn about yourself?
I think the most important thing for me was to say what I feel. You know, I'm very easy-going and can handle anything and everything. But sometimes you need to say what you feel and believe in it and speak to that. That's the biggest thing I've learnt in this journey – it’s okay sometimes to say, "I'm not happy," or "I don't like this," and embrace that. You can sometimes say "No, I don't like it". And that was the nicest experience for me because I usually just let it go, and with this journey I had a chance to say, "No, I don't like this," or "I don't want this," and that was great for me as a person.
Catch Dancing with the Stars SA on Sunday at 17:00 on M-Net (DStv 101)
(Photos: Supplied by Cathy Pinnock/M-Net)
