Panic On The Dance Floor! - Manu's Last Minute Freak - Out

The league star overcomes nerves to put on a winning performace

- Cloe Willetts

When this year’s Dancing with the Stars winner Manu Vatuvei accepted the coveted mirror ball trophy under a shower of golden confetti, audiences saw him beam. But no-one knew that just moments before stepping out to perform his emotional last dance at the grand finale, the father-offour suffered a panic attack.

“I was about to dance this story I really wanted to tell and it was important to me,” explains the 33-year-old former Warriors player, aka “The Beast”. “I was panicking and just thinking I couldn’t do it, and Loryn was trying to calm me down.”

Loryn Reynolds, 23, his devoted dance partner on Three’s hit reality series, tried to talk Manu through the anxiety, but it wasn’t until he started practising their ballroom-inspired dance set to “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” that the panic began to subside.

“It started making me feel better, just focusing on the dancing, and it got me out of that head space,” reveals Manu. “That’s what dancing has done for me. I never knew it would have such a massive impact and it’s where I find my comfort now.”

The captivating dance – partly choreographed by Manu and receiving a perfect judges’ score of 30 – represented his setback in rugby league two years ago. At the time, he was playing for the Salford Red Devils in England, but he had to return home early because of a career-ending Achilles injury.