Dancing on stage and television is a dream for Launceston's Lily Cornish - and she's ecstatic to be living that out once again, currently in Sydney for the filming of Dancing With The Stars.
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"It was during COVID that I thought my Dancing With The Stars journey was coming to an end," Ms Cornish said.
"This year I feel very blessed and grateful coming back, and I'm super excited for this season."
She's hoping for a smoother season than last year - which saw her quarantined in a hotel for two weeks with then partner Christian Wilkins, after his father tested positive for the virus.
"No more dancing on a rooftop for me and being isolated in a hotel for me so far, so that's an improvement for sure," she said.
This year, Ms Cornish is dancing with actor Lincoln Lewis - who she met in similar circumstances at a young age.
"You actually don't know who you have until you walk into the studio on the first day, so that first day was the 15th of February, and I walked into the studio and he was there," she said.
"It was pretty surreal because I used to watch Home and Away and I'd seen a few of his movies.
"I actually met Lincoln when I was 10 years old when I went to go watch Dancing with my stepdad Andrew Palmer, who taught me how to dance, because he used to be on the show... to have him as a partner now it's pretty crazy."
Ms Cornish said the season this year was different - filmed in an "all stars" format, with former contestants picked due to their prior dance experience, and ideally, their ability to learn on their feet - and fast.
"He did the show twelve years ago, and unfortunately he's forgotten everything which is a bit of a bummer," she said.
"He knows what its like in terms of intensity and the staging and the costumes which is a big advantage because usually that's such a shock to the celebrities.
A normal season would see the teams have weeks to prepare - this year looking incredibly different.
"Due to COVID, we had three weeks to prepare in the celebrity's home base, so I was on the Gold Coast with Lincoln," Ms Cornish said.
"Now we've come to Sydney, and I'll perform and if I make it through I'll be performing again in two days time, so compared to previous seasons it is super intense and fast-tracked, it's the most full on season I've done.
"We're doing six hour days, lots of physio appointments and massages, we're just pushing through. Lincoln is really determined and a hard worker, but on top of that we do have our laughs and we're having such a good time together."
The show is set to air on Channel 7 later in 2021.
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