Emily Barker has explained her decision to leave Dancing with the Stars after six seasons.
The dancer is one the show's most successful pros after reaching the final three times, on season three with Johnny Ward, season four with Aidan Fogarty and winning the show on season six with Carl Mullan.
Instead of taking to the dancefloor with another Irish celeb this January, she has decided to step away to focus on other projects, mainly her new jewellery collection.
Read more: DWTS winner Emily Barker buys house with boyfriend Olly Ashton - and talks about ex Curtis Pritchard
Emily told RSVP Live: "It was the right time for me. I finished on a high after winning the show with Carl Mullan.
"I had six really amazing seasons on Dancing with the Stars, but now my business is really taking off.
"I think I was ready to take that step and try new things and be able to delve into other opportunities that I wasn’t 100 percent able to commit to before. The show was always very demanding."
For Emily, Dancing with the Stars never felt "monotonous", but winning the show spurred her on to move away.
She said: "It depends on who you get [laughs]. For me, it never felt monotonous and it wasn’t like I was bored.
"Every year, I went into it thinking it was a challenge and there was always something new. The main goal, for me, was always to win the show and I have achieved that. As a result, I want to go on and achieve something new in a different area of my life."
Emily was the first pro to the eliminated from Dancing with the Stars when the RTÉ show first hit screens in January 2017 and her time on the show came full circle when she lifted the glitterball trophy before quitting last month.
She said: "I learned so much so quickly after being eliminated first in season one. When you are so young joining such a big production, you have to learn on the spot and you have to learn so quickly.
"Being eliminated first made me realise how I needed to teach and what I needed to do with my choreography and how hard I needed to work to reach the final.
"I achieved everything I wanted to with that win this year."
What have her hightlights been? "Being paired with Rob Heffernan was a highlight in itself because he was just hilarious.
"I loved dancing with him. Dancing with Johnny Ward was amazing because I would never have been able to push the choreography as far with someone else because he was so talented.
"Every moment of being with Carl Mullan was so enjoyable. There have also been so many pro numbers that I will look back on where I was the featured pro dancer. I had a really great six years."
Emily has been working on her jewellery range in the background while dancing and running her exercise classes.
She said: "We have been working on it for the guts of a year. It is luxury jewellery, but the niche is my age category.
"I think there is a bit of a gap in the market. You have jewellery that turns your ears green or leaves marks on your fingers, but there is nothing good quality for people my age."
She continued: "I love jewellery and being on Dancing with the Stars I am so used to getting dressed up and the glitz and glam of it all. It is something I really wanted to jump into and I felt it was the right time for me."
Emily still plans to tune in to Dancing with the Stars next year. However, she doesn't know if she and Carl will reunite for one last performance together.
She said: "Absolutely, 100 percent! The pro dancers are my closest friends and I am so excited to cheer them on. I will reluctantly have to hand over the trophy.
"I haven’t heard anything about coming back again. I would love to see Carl. I would say ‘yes’ to any chance to see him again."
See more of Luxury Jewellery Brand ‘Nava By Emily Barker’ on her website - Here
Nava by Emily Barker collections, which features Emily’s 4 curated collections that captures the essence of sophistication and luxury.
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