From the rugby field to the “Dancing With the Stars” ballroom, Ilona Maher’s rise to social media stardom hasn’t come about in the traditional way. After all, not everyone has the chance to launch their careers with Olympics-based content.
Originally only known on the rugby field, Maher started amassing her social media following during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as a member of the women’s rugby team. Like many Olympians, Maher used the platform to show behind-the-scenes looks into the games and used her content as a way to get more U.S. viewers interested in the world of women’s rugby.
Rather than fade out of thought until the next Olympics, Maher took her 15 minutes of fame and started to build her social media empire. Now boasting an impressive 4.3 million followers on Instagram and 3 million followers on TikTok, Maher’s fanbase only grew during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Throughout the Paris Olympics, Maher showed followers her approach to the games. As told to People Magazine, her main focus was on her team, not all the people rooting for her through their screens.
“I wasn’t just playing for the now-millions of people that were watching me, but I was playing for my teammates,” Maher says. “I was playing for my program, and that gave me something to really ground myself.”
Maher’s approach to the 2024 Paris games paid off with the U.S. women’s rugby team taking home the bronze medal, an improvement from their sixth place finish at the 2020 Tokyo games.
Post-Paris games, Maher’s career has been a whirlwind since stepping back on U.S. soil. Since returning from Paris, Maher has been on the cover of Sports Illustrated digital swimsuit issue and People Magazine, landed a spot on the TIME100 Next 2024 List and joined the cast for season 33 of “Dancing with the Stars.”
Her stint on “Dancing with the Stars” is the epitome of Maher practicing what she preaches. Rather than shy away from a new challenge, she met it head on.
“I knew how hard it was going to be,” Maher says. “I was not fooling myself that this would be an easy time.”
So far, Maher’s journey on “Dancing with the Stars” with partner Alan Bersten has been a success story. The pair are set to take on week 7 of the competition with a quickstep inspired by Lindsey Arnold and Jordan Fisher’s season 25 performance.
While Maher’s hit her stride on social media, her posting isn’t to gain more brand deals or grow her follower count. Since the beginning, she’s kept her mission the same — empowering her followers through relatable and honest content.