Johnny Ward has revealed an argument with his dad on his death bed pushed him to go on and secure his place in Sunday’s final of Dancing With The Stars.
Johnny’s beloved feather John Ward, 72, lost his battle with cancer at the beginning of March.
The former Love/Hate actor told the Irish Daily Mirror: “The last words my father said to me were ‘f**k off’.
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“And it was because we had an argument about me not wanting to continue in the show. I didn’t want to do it. I wanted to be there for him, but he was saying I was keeping him going.
“The one thing he said, because he was so angry, and annoyed and upset with me, and he just told myself and Emily that he was going to try and stay alive for the final.
“So then we wanted to get to the final for him, but then he died three days after that.
“And I suppose when that is the last thing you have you kind of have, as much as you don’t want to be there, you have to say, look, it’s what said, let’s just work now to get to the final.
The former Fair City actor, who is up against Mairead Ronan and Cliona Hagan tomorrow, feels he doesn’t ‘have a chance’ at taking home the trophy, dubbing this year’s competition as ‘the year of the woman’.
He said: “Honestly, getting to the final, as the last lad, feels like winning. It’s the year of the woman, everyone knows it, it has been since day one.
“So what myself and Emily are going to do is go out there and look back with no regrets and leave it all on the dancefloor.
“Getting to the final is just the best feeling. It’s incredible.
“Just with the pressure that was on with my father asking me to do it, so just getting there and having to do it in a very difficult way of being in the dance off again.
“Should we have been in the dance off if it was a dance competition? No, but it is all about the public vote and you start to realise you don’t have a chance at winning it, but it doesn’t make a difference, it is only a glitter ball at the end of the day, it is not going to change your life.
“There are much bigger things going on in the world and the three of us have gone on this journey together and it has been an incredible experience.
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“Obviously there were downs as well, so to be able to get all that sh*t, the emotional stuff and horrible depression that was in me, and take it out on a dance and to be able to get three tens was incredible.”
Fellow finalist Cliona Hagan commented about the matter saying: “I think that’s just speculation. It would be great to get a female winner, but I have to say Johnny Ward is amazing.
“What a dancer and amazing person. I would just be so delighted if any of us won. Whoever wins at this point, fair play but I am just so happy to have even got to this point.
“I’m going to be devastated when it is over. It has been the best experience of my life. But I will probably be glad to get some more sleep.”
Meanwhile, Mairead Ronan said: “I’m so delighted to be there I’m more excited than anything.
“It’s John’s second year in the final but he says pressure is for tyres. He’s the most successful pro in Dancing with the Stars Ireland.”
