Aidan Fogarty said being dropped ahead of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling final in 2012 was “absolutely horrendous”.
The Dancing With The Stars hopeful admitted Kilkenny boss Brian Cody’s decision not to start him was the lowest point of his career and he wanted to quit.
He told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “I got dropped and I only found out the night the team was named.
“I guess I was always the underdog on the team, I was never like Henry Shefflin or a big name.
“I always questioned if I was good enough all the way through my life. It was absolutely horrendous.
“I was going to retire after that final and I just had to sit down with my best friend to tease it out.
"We said if I retired then I would always carry that with me. I would carry that bitterness.
“Over the years, it was always me that got dropped and it was always me that got left off the team if something happened. If there was a toss-up between two people, it was always me that went.”
Kilkenny went on to defeat Galway in the replay at Croke Park but that low feeling stayed with Aidan for weeks afterwards.
Instead of harbouring the hurt, he managed to use it towards rebuilding his career and even his time on DWTS.
Aidan said: “To hear it on the night, no manager talked to me and said they were starting somebody else. My heart absolutely sank and I can safely say I was in a blur for three weeks and my self-confidence took a serious dip.
“It was an awful time. But looking back at it now, it probably made me. I came back in 2013 and I probably had my best year with my club and I won another All-Ireland with Kilkenny in 2014.”
Aidan has no hard feelings towards the management because the decision was made to benefit the team and the county.
He added: “It was a team environment and it wasn’t about me, it was never about me. It is not about an individual, it is about what is best for Kilkenny.
“Brian Cody made the absolute right decision, I am not blaming him because Walter Walsh came on and scored 1-03 and he got Man Of The Match.”
Aidan and his pro partner are dancing the American Smooth to the theme tune from Top Cat this week and the couple also have the added pressure of the dance-a-thon for extra points.
Given his sporting background, Aidan is completely focused on reaching the semi-finals next weekend and he is using his experience to get him there.
He said: “The marathon is a jive and I have done that before so it is just a matter of remembering the steps.
“I was going through a lull during the 7th and 8th week. I was constantly tired and I was doing dances that didn’t suit me.
“From hurling and a GAA background, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now I am in the quarter-final. One more night and I could be in a semi-final.”
