2fm DJ Carl Mullan to run Dublin City Marathon after Dancing With The Stars

RTE 2fm breakfast show co-presenter Mullan, who will tonight bid for a place in next week’s big final, reveals that previous contestants have warmed him that he may find it hard to readjust to normal life.

“Before doing the show I would generally take Sundays easy and do nothing, whereas now I’m probably going to find it weird sitting at home with nothing to do,” Carl tells the Sunday World.

“I’ve spoken to other people who have done the show and they said, ‘prepare yourself, there will be quite a comedown after it.’ And I can well imagine that there will be.”

The popular broadcaster married his long-time love, Aisling, last year, and says: “It was the same with our wedding. We got married in April of last year and what nobody warned me about was the comedown after the wedding because you had such a good time and you enjoyed it so much, and then when it’s done you’re going ‘oh my God, I can’t believe that’s finished! The biggest day of your life is all done.’

“I’d say this will be the same when it’s all finished…how do I replace that adrenaline rush.”

Looking back over the last couple of years, Carl describes his life as “a crazy rollercoaster ride.”

"Ten years down the line I’ll look back and go, ‘what was going on back then!’ In the last three years we bought a house, then went into lockdown, then got engaged, found out we were pregnant, had a baby, got married, I landed my dream job on 2fm breakfast and then ended up on Dancing With The Stars. It’s absolutely nuts.”

Carl and Aisling and their baby son, Daibhí, have also moved in with his parents in recent times while their own home is being renovated.

“I cannot describe how supportive Ash has been,” Carl says. “I was probably more reluctant to do the show than she was for me to do it. We were big fans of the show and watched it every year.

“But it’s a huge commitment because we’re getting an extension done to our house and we’re living with my parents. Ash is also working full-time as a paediatrician. I’m gone from 5.30 in the morning and not home till nine at night.

“She said, ‘Carl, as a family, whatever we need to do to make this work we will absolutely make it happen.’ And I swear to God there hasn’t been one day that she has got sick of the whole thing.”

Carl and Aisling also had to cope with the trauma of a miscarriage in recent months. “It was sad, but it’s part of life too,” he said yesterday. “As sad as we were, we were very appreciative of how lucky we are as well for what we have, our beautiful, healthy little boy.”​

Carl also paid tribute to his professional partner Emily Barker for whipping him into shape as a dancer.

“I still can’t quite believe we are in the semi-final, but Emily has had full belief in me from the get-go and that has had such an impact on me.” Carl says.

“I would have been happy to get to week six, but from the word go Emily said, ‘you can make the final. Put the work in and I guarantee you we have a chance of making the final.’

We’ve been doing 50 to 60 hours a week of rehearsals. “I’m not technically the best dancer in the competition, but I’m very proud of where I’ve got to from where I started. My friends used to mimic me dancing I was so bad back in the day.

“I think people appreciate the journey I’ve had. They can see I came from not having a clue and with no natural ability, to being able to go out and genuinely do a dance.”

And Carl says his months of work outs on the dance floor have also seen him achieve peak fitness.​“...My fitness has gone through the roof and I’ve now signed up for this year’s Dublin City Marathon to maintain it,” he reveals. “I feel great with the energy I have now and I’ll start training for the marathon once the dancing is finished.”

• Dancing With The Stars, RTE One tonight, 6.30pm.