Ilona Maher is the first rugby player to compete in the history of the U.S. show. She partnered with Alan Bersten and competed in the season 33 of Dancing with the Stars.
She is possibly single and hasn’t revealed her romantic relationships with the tabloids.
Highlights
- Ilona Maher jokingly hinted about her husband when one of the commentators asked about him.
- She has maintained a private life but has hinted at pursuing her love life after Dancing with the Stars.
- She identifies as female, but netizens assumed she was lesbian with her post mentioning her platonic best friend as a wife.
Ilona Delsing Rosa Maher’s parents encouraged her to play sports from a young age, and she played field hockey, basketball, and softball at Burlington High School.
Her father encouraged her to play rugby, and she began playing for the South Burlington School Rugby Football Club at age 17.
Quinnipiac coach Becky Carlson observed her game and recruited her to join the Quinnipiac Bobcats, where she won three National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) championships.
In 2017, she received the MA Sorensen Award, which was given to the nation’s top collegiate women’s rugby player, and was named the Most Outstanding Player at the NIRA Championships in 2018.
Moreover, Richie Walker and Emilie Bydwell were impressed with her game and selected her for the United States national rugby sevens team.
She represented the United States at the 2018 Paris Women’s SVNS tournament and the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town.
Nonetheless, she won a bronze medal with the U.S. Women’s Sevens team in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Ilona Maher Hinted About Her Husband On TikTok
Ilonas Maher isn’t married, and netizens speculated that the Olympic medalist is possibly single, but her social media hinted she has a husband.
However, there isn’t any solid confirmation of whether she is real or just teasing the commentators on her posts.
@ilonamaher #answer to @jazmine_ruth husband reveal #beastbeautybrains ♬ original sound – Ilona Maher
Looking at the video post on TikTok, Ilona seemed joking as one of her fans asked her to reveal her husband.
She has kept her personal life private, and there isn’t much information about her past relationships. However, she is open about her busy schedule, which makes it difficult for her to focus on dating.
The rugby player frequently talks about her search for love and her humorous perspective on dating.
She is good at everything she tries to accomplish and made a bold declaration of pursuing her love life after Dancing with the Stars.
Honestly, I haven’t been on a date in years.
Ilona mentioned.
I was heading home from rehearsal, and I saw these people going out to bars, and I was like, I’m young, I should be going out meeting people, talking to hot people.
Ilona wonders what the future holds for her romantically, as she is often tired from doing too much work. She is open to dating apps and waits for potential suitors to slide into her DMs.
She wants to find someone who can keep up with her sharp wit and secure enough to handle her dizzying success.
Nonetheless, Ilona accepts the title of America’s Sweetheart.
I think when people say America’s Sweetheart, I’m like, ‘Me, the girl who plays rugby?’ Okay, I’ll take it. I am honored. And I like that we’re changing [who is] considered [a] role model for kids.
Ilona feels proud to be America’s Sweetheart.
Ilona Maher Identifies As A Women And Uses She/Her Pronouns
Ilona Maher has faced sexist stereotypes and attacks due to her physique and athletic prowess. Netizens have always criticized and considered her overweight her whole life.
She stands 5 feet and weighs about 200lbs with about 170 pounds of lean mass.
@ilonamaher As long as haters keep saying dumb stuff, I’m gonna keep clapping back
♬ original sound – Ilona Maher
Ilona shut down one of her commentators who tried to roast her, commenting, “I bet that person has a 30% BMI.” She responded that it was a fact that her BMI was 29.3.
Similarly, she added that BMI doesn’t tell what she could do and how fit she was.
Furthermore, some even assumed her to be a lesbian due to her post where she addressed Nicole Heavirland, her wife.
She mentioned her platonic best friend, her wife, as she was moving in with her lovely girlfriend and could only see her at practice.
Despite these challenges, an American rugby union player inspires others with her sportsmanship. She feels happy when her friends come to support her women’s ruby.
Kylie and I follow each other [and] are mutual friends online, and so we’ve chatted before. I was so happy that she came to the game and brought Jason because we want to get more eyes on [the sport and] to get a football guy like that to watch the game was so cool.
Ilona expressed her happiness when Jason Kelce and Kylie Kelce took time to support women’s rugby.
Additional Information
- Ilona Maher, the daughter of Michael and Mieneke Maher, was born on August 12, 1996, in Burlington, Vermont. Her mother is a nurse, and her father played rugby.
- She is the middle daughter of three and grew up with her sisters, Olivia and Adrianna.
- She graduated with a nursing degree from Quinnipiac University in 2018 and received a master’s in business administration from DeVry University in 2022.
- Her net worth is estimated at $3 million as of 2024.
