{"id":290479,"date":"2026-02-10T12:20:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T12:20:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/290479\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T12:20:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T12:20:12","slug":"anne-cassin-on-her-beloved-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/290479\/","title":{"rendered":"Anne Cassin on her beloved career"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Anne Cassin Pic: Emily Quinn for VIP Magazine<\/p>\n

We\u2019re sad to see the end of Anne Cassin\u2019s Dancing with the Stars journey, before she took to the floor, she spoke to VIP Magazine.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re used to seeing her making moves up and down the country on Nationwide each week, but now, we\u2019ll be seeing her making very different ones, as Anne Cassin prepares to shake and shimmy in her sequins during the brand new series of Dancing with the Stars.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat an adventure this is going to be,\u201d she beamed from the glam chair as we prepped for this shoot at Dublin\u2019s Wilder Townhouse, where she joined us straight from rehearsals. \u201cIt\u2019s exhausting, but so much fun. Honestly, I\u2019m just so excited for the live shows now. It\u2019s so far out of my comfort zone, but you have to push yourself and try new things. I want to do as much as I can, say yes to as much as I can. I\u2019m ready for this!\u201d<\/p>\n

Anne\u2019s got many people in her corner \u2013 and plenty of former contestants offering her words of wisdom and encouragement from the sidelines.<\/p>\n

\"\"Anne Cassin Pic: Emily Quinn for VIP Magazine<\/p>\n

\u201cI rang Mary Kennedy the day I was first approached, way back in August. Another person I\u2019ve spoken to a lot about this is Teresa Mannion. She was in the very first season back in 2016. The two of them have been my wingwomen. Oh, and Marty Morrissey and Eileen Dunne, too. They\u2019ve been brilliant.\u201d<\/p>\n

The support doesn\u2019t go unnoticed, but most particularly, from her family; husband Donagh and three children, Ellen (27), Joe (25) and Heather (20). \u201cThey can see that I\u2019m getting to do something I want to do, and they\u2019ll have my back the entire way. They\u2019re excited \u2013 and maybe even secretly proud!\u201d There\u2019s no doubt about that!<\/p>\n

Here, we chat to Anne about her days on and off the dance floor, the importance of friendship, family life and three decades in the broadcasting world.<\/p>\n

\"\"Anne Cassin Pic: Emily Quinn for VIP Magazine<\/p>\n

Anne, happy New Year! How do you feel going into 2026?
Happy New Year! It\u2019s time for resolutions and mine is to get fit! I laid off the turkey, ham and pudding over Christmas and I\u2019m getting ready for Dancing with the Stars!<\/p>\n

How excited are you?
Ah I\u2019m incredibly excited, but nervous too. During the training stage, it was a little bit daunting because I\u2019ve n background in dance at all. The extent of it was Irish dancing at the age of 10 in school and the only time after that was around a handbag at a wedding! I love music and I think I have a sense of rhythm but nothing comes easy. These classes and steps are really demanding! After training, I\u2019m pretty wiped out.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re very fit, a long time runner, you\u2019ve gone to Everest base camp, has that prepared you for this?
I think so. I would run a lot, do yoga, so I\u2019ve a good level of fitness I think \u2013 or I thought! There\u2019s nothing like the tiredness you feel after a training session though, trying to learn how to do a Fox Trot and get all your steps in order. Part of it is stretching muscles you didn\u2019t think you\u2019d have to stretch, and also the effort of concentrating. But I\u2019m guided by an amazing professional dancer, Robert Rowinski. I\u2019m so lucky to work with him. He\u2019s won twice in Poland so I\u2019m in good hands. He\u2019s a great teacher.<\/p>\n

Would this be very outside your comfort zone?
Very much! There\u2019s been times \u2013 and my family will know because they\u2019ve heard me walking around the house at 4am \u2013 when I\u2019ve wondered if I\u2019m out of my mind. The part of it that\u2019s been trickiest to manage and harder than I thought was keeping it silent for a long time. I wasn\u2019t able to give the game away in work, with colleagues or friends. I told my husband and kids straight away and the family, my siblings too. There\u2019d been times where I wanted to burst and talk about it to everyone, tell them about the sequins, the rehearsals and plans. Plans was a big one, I had to be so vague and elusive but it\u2019s only because I was trying to catch up on the training.<\/p>\n

\"\"Anne Cassin Pic: Emily Quinn for VIP Magazine<\/p>\n

You\u2019d been approached before, so why did you decide to say yes this time?
I had been approached yes, but the time wasn\u2019t right. My children were a little bit younger, I\u2019m also in a different place mentally I suppose, with the running of the family, and it seemed like the right thing to do. I\u2019m all about doing new things right now. I want to have a new experience and try new things. I\u2019m embracing it!<\/p>\n

Are you competitive in nature or just doing it for fun?
Ah, I\u2019m on the fence about that. I want it to be an enjoyable experience, no question about it, but I want to do as well as I possibly can. I don\u2019t want to take the pressure off. I want to do well but enjoy it.<\/p>\n

What are you most looking forward to?
The live shows. I love the training and rehearsals, the glam side of it, the diamonds and makeup, but what really gives me a charge is live tv and I have done it for quite a few years. I used to be a newsreader, used to do CrimeCall, so I want to exercise that muscle again. It\u2019s like nothing else! You really focus your mind to get that high energy. It\u2019ll be scary as well, but I\u2019m mentally ready for it. Now this is me talking now, I might fall apart on the night.<\/p>\n

Not at all, you\u2019ll fly it! You\u2019re great friends with Mary Kennedy who took part previously, has she had any words of advice or encouragement?
I rang Mary on the day I was approached, way back in August. I\u2019ve had lots of conversations with her. There was no ambiguity on her side, she said \u2018You\u2019ve got to do it, it\u2019s the best thing ever! Do it, do it, do it!\u2019 Another person I\u2019ve spoken to a lot about it is Teresa Mannion. She was in the very first one back in 2016. The two of them have been like my wingwomen. There\u2019s been moments when I really needed to talk to someone and it\u2019s been one of them! Oh, and Marty Morrissey too! Eileen Dunne has been in touch too and she actually partnered with Robert two seasons ago. She\u2019s been brilliant.<\/p>\n

\"\"Anne Cassin Pic: Emily Quinn for VIP Magazine<\/p>\n

Friendships are so important and it\u2019s so lovely you have them all to lean on during this.
I feel very privileged. They\u2019ve all been great encouragement. It was on Nationwide where you and Mary really solidified your great bond.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s been a huge part of your life for over a decade, 13 or 14 years now?
Oh we\u2019ve been friends for such a long time. Mary came to my wedding in 2004 and that was way before Nationwide. We\u2019ve been in each others lives for quite a number of years but yes, we definitely got much closer on Nationwide. We\u2019ve kept in great contact even after she left. We celebrate family milestones together, meet regularly for a canter around Bushy Park. I started in 2012, so yeah 14 years and it gave me brilliant friendships.<\/p>\n

You must adore it!
I love television and making shows. I love Ireland and Irish people. It\u2019s given me a really unique position to see the best of what we have in this country of ours. The kind of stories that we feature are very positive, they celebrate the best so generally people are very happy to see us when we rock up with our cameras and our lights. News and current affairs can do the serious stuff, but we\u2019re there on the schedule three nights a week to provide an antidote. We\u2019re able to platform parts of the country that wouldn\u2019t normally get the attention that it deserves. It gives me a lot of pride.<\/p>\n

Would you say it\u2019s a fulfilling job? Does it make you happy?
Ah yeah, absolutely! A lot of my job is the stuff that\u2019s done off air, so making people feel at ease, encouraging them, trying to build people\u2019s confidence. It can be quite daunting for people to get in front of the camera and be interviewed. At the end of a filming day, it could be six, seven, eight hours, and we\u2019re all hugging each other by the end. That\u2019s my measure \u2013 if you hug someone at the end, it\u2019s authentic! I love it.<\/p>\n

\"\"Anne Cassin Pic: Emily Quinn for VIP Magazine<\/p>\n

Do you enjoy it not only from a work point of view, but life in general too, getting to see different places, more importantly, meet different people?
Oh for sure! You can get a bit set in your ways, set in your circle, set in your routine. It\u2019s constantly a source of wonder, amazement and pride seeing people do such different things around the country. It can take you all over the place! We\u2019ve done lots of stories along the Wild Atlantic Way, semi-tourist, semi-heritage, semi-sport stories! And also around the city too. Even though we\u2019re nationwide, we don\u2019t want to forget about Dublin either.<\/p>\n

You must be a big people person, are you?
I am, definitely. I don\u2019t think you could do the job without being a people person. You need to be curious too. Curious about people, what makes them tick, how they work and do business. If you didn\u2019t have a general interest in people, you\u2019d be backed into a corner with this job. I do have that \u2013 and I like people!<\/p>\n

Would you get stopped a lot out and about, people recognising you from work and wanting to chat?
It happened a few weeks ago, I got stopped by a fella outside the Liffey Trust dance studios. He just saw me as someone from Nationwide and didn\u2019t put two and two together about the dancing. I thought I was going to be caught! But yeah, you\u2019d get a bit of it, however Irish people are so very nice. You also realise sometimes when someone has noticed you but wants to respect your privacy. I\u2019m pretty open though and very low-key about how I conduct my business. I don\u2019t go around all the time with a full face of makeup, nice gear, so I take it as a compliment when people see me and still say hello.<\/p>\n

Would you consider yourself to be confident and outgoing? I suppose you have to be to some degree working in tv, but especially now with dancing too.
That\u2019s a deepish one. I\u2019d have my worries the odd time. I have my stresses and strains in life. I\u2019ve pretty much always put on my game face for work. I\u2019d be very professional in that regard. I\u2019m sociable, but I don\u2019t need to be the life and soul of the party. I don\u2019t need to be the showiest person in the room. I\u2019m very much a people person, but if I\u2019m not feeling it, I fake it. Fake it \u2018till you make it as they say!<\/p>\n

\"\"Anne Cassin Pic: Emily Quinn for VIP Magazine<\/p>\n

Absolutely! Anne, the kids must be so proud of you.
Ah they\u2019re delighted now, I must say. They\u2019re at an age now where they can enjoy it. My daughter Heather is 20 and she\u2019s on Eramus. She was so excited when I told her that Paudie from The Traitors was going to be taking part with me. They\u2019re all very supportive. They can see that I\u2019m getting to do something I want to do, and they\u2019ll have my back all throughout the way. They\u2019re beyond the age where they\u2019re like, \u2018Oh God mum, don\u2019t do that, it\u2019s mortifying!\u2019 [laughs] Ellen is 27, Joe is 25 and Heather is 20.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re excited \u2013 and maybe even secretly proud, but who knows?
They absolutely are!<\/p>\n

Will they be in the audience rooting for you during your first live show?
They will for the first one, absolutely. Heather will be going back to Germany afterwards and Ellen to Edinburgh so it\u2019s the only time the four of them, my kids and husband, will be there together.<\/p>\n

That\u2019ll be really special.
It will be, but I don\u2019t want to talk to them before I do the show, only afterwards. I\u2019ve got past the nerves, it used to really freak me out but now I like to go into my professional head and focus. I zone them out.<\/p>\n

Life will be moving at 100 miles an hour for the next while, but when it all slows down again, will you take some time for yourself and your husband Donagh, to switch off for a little bit?
I really hope so. We go to Kerry a lot and spend a lot of time there. We\u2019re very outdoorsy, we\u2019re always walking, hiking and we do a lot of active holidays. We\u2019re not ones for lying by the pool in the sun. I do it with my sister, but Donagh and I don\u2019t do that.<\/p>\n

You mightn\u2019t be able to do that with the blisters on your feet from all the dancing!
Actually, do you know what I got for Christmas? It\u2019s the coolest thing. It was a secret Santa present from my sister-in-law. It was a pair of these shoes that proper dancers wear between dances, so when I got those resting dance shoes, I thought, \u2018My God, it\u2019s actually happening!\u2019<\/p>\n

It sure is! Summing it up, how do you feel looking ahead at the next few weeks?
Full of excitement and dying to immerse myself in this world, get better and enjoy it. You have to do the work before you can enjoy it, you can\u2019t cheat the system, but I\u2019ll try do it all well! That\u2019s my big wish. It\u2019s all very exciting.<\/p>\n

We wish you the very best of luck!
Thanks VIP!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Anne Cassin Pic: Emily Quinn for VIP Magazine We\u2019re sad to see the end of Anne Cassin\u2019s Dancing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":290480,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61,60,43],"class_list":{"0":"post-290479","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ireland","8":"tag-ie","9":"tag-ireland","10":"tag-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=290479"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290479\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/290480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=290479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=290479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=290479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}