McGahern eyes DWTS final spot as Longford and Cavan public vote to keep comedian in hunt for glory

The Gowna comic, together with professional dance partner Laura Nolan, booked his place in the show’s semi-finals on Sunday evening, but not without a scare.

The pair turned in an eye-catching performance, dancing the Salsa to Calvin Harris featuring Justin Timberlake, Halsey and Pharrell Williams' Stay with Me.

When the scores were totted up, however, Kevin and Laura found themselves at the foot of the table with 23 points and facing a potential dance off.

As it transpired however, a sizeable public vote spared their blushes as drag queen legend Panti Bliss was sent packing following a dance off involving former Eurovision singer Brooke Scullion.

Kevin said but for an overwhelming level of support from a Cavan and Longford public, he could well have seen his Dancing With The Stars odyssey fall by the wayside.

“Absolutely,” he said, when asked if he thought his place in the RTÉ show was in jeopardy.

“As soon as we got the scores, I was like: ‘We are going into a dance off’. We must have just got a serious public vote and it’s really something to know we have the support of so many people.”

That sentiment was one which was apparent earlier in the day when Kevin had a conversation with his father Sean who had been in attendance at Kingspan Breffni Park for Cavan’s Allianz Football League Division Two league encounter.

“He just told me that every person he bumped into said they were going to vote for me that evening which was amazing to hear,” he said.

Kevin said as the competition enters its latter stages, the level of expectation has not just intensified but taken its toll on his mental health.

“I didn’t think it would be as demanding, I must say. Like, there were days there last week where I didn’t see my kids and I was doing eleven hour days which I found really tough mentally,” he said.

That challenge is one Kevin knows will arguably become even more testing over the next few days as he and Laura vie for a place in the final.

“It’s marathon week next week where all five couples will be dancing continuously with couples being picked off to go out one by one which will be challenging for sure,” he added.

“But now I have got this far, I really want to go all the way.”