While she might have come in eighth place on her 2019 season of Dancing With The Stars, Olympia Valance is back with a vengeance, and ready to show us what she’s capable of.
The former Neighbours star, who is currently starring on Dancing With The Stars: All Stars, has definitely not held back, scoring consistently high numbers across the board thus far.
“I was eliminated quite early on the first time I competed in Dancing With The Stars, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed,” she tells WHO.
“I was just having so much fun and I didn’t want to stop dancing.”
Filming for the series took place during lockdowns in 2021, so when the opportunity arose for Olympia to head to Sydney, she grabbed it with both hands.
“I was definitely sick of being stuck inside, I wanted to get out of the house, have a new environment and move my body again,” she says.
Knowing what to expect this time, Olympia came prepared.
“I went in with a level of fitness I didn’t have the first time around, I remembered what a huge toll the training and hours take on your body – you’re never not sore,” she explains.
She was also able to connect really well with her dancing partner, Gustavo, whom she calls Gus.
“Gus was really the most incredible partner; I can’t tell you how much fun we had,” she says.
“I think our friendship off the stage ended up translating into our performances too.”
While Olympia scored a whopping 38 out of 40 for her first dance, she’s still sitting around the fourth-place mark on the show given the immense strength and talent of her competitors.
While we’re confident she’ll keep killing it on the dancefloor, there’s plenty more going on in Olympia’s life at the moment, including her business and her upcoming wedding.
“Getting married is without a doubt going to be the highlight of the year,” she tells us.
Olympia got engaged to her long-term partner, AFL player Thomas Bellchambers, in October 2020.
Olympia posted to Instagram to mark the occasion, sharing a snap of the pair kissing on Orpheus Island in Queensland, where she wore her sparkly new ring.
“Today is a special day. The man of my dreams proposed to me. I get to marry my best friend,” she wrote.
“The plans are very much in full swing! I hadn’t realised how much there was to do until we were in the thick of it,” she tells us now.
“We’re both so excited, I can’t wait to be Thomas’ wife.”
While all of this would be enough to have one person run off their feet, Olympia also has her own business.
“I’m happiest when I’m busy … I also have the tendency to get bored quite quickly, so I like to have multiple things happening at once,” she says.
“From a very young age I wanted to own my own business, I like the independence, control and creativity it provides.”
Her passion led her to create Splash Vodka, which releases pre-mixed, canned alcoholic drinks, including a new range of seltzers.
“I really felt like there was a gap in the market. When I was growing up, all of the pre-mixed alcoholic beverages were laden with sugar and additives.
“We have two new flavours that we have introduced – watermelon & pomegranate, and orange & passionfruit.
“I know I’m not supposed to play favourites but the watermelon & pomegranate is exactly that. It truly is the perfect summer beverage.”
You can catch Olympia on Dancing With The Stars on Sunday evenings at 7pm on Channel Seven.