Brooks Nader says fellow “Sports Illustrated ”cover model Ilona Maher has 'an advantage' over her on “Dancing With the Stars”

The 28-year-old model tells EW she's determined to go toe-to-toe against the Olympian: "I’m gonna work on my stamina. I have time!"

Brooks Nader and Olympian Ilona Maher may both be Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover models and Dancing With the Stars contestants, but Nader says she'll have to work a little harder if she wants to beat the Olympian in the ballroom.

While speaking with Entertainment Weekly at a press line for the series, the 28-year-old model reveals that she was beyond excited to meet the Olympic rugby player after the dance competition’s season 33 cast was unveiled live on Good Morning America last week. 

“I just saw her photos. Her digital cover was so beautiful,” Nader gushes of Maher. “And, obviously, she's such a badass, so I’m excited.”

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Although, Nader concedes, “She's definitely an athlete, and I am not, so she's got an advantage there. I’m gonna work on my stamina. I have time!”

Nader became a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model after winning the publication’s Swim Search open casting call in 2019. She has been featured in the magazine since 2020, and became an official cover girl in 2023. Maher, who won a bronze medal as part of the U.S. women's sevens rugby team at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, starred on her own Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover in August.

Nader, who also owns her own jewelry line and interior design brand, explains that she joined the cast of Dancing With the Stars “very last minute” just a few weeks prior to the cast reveal. “I’ve been watching Dancing With the Stars since I was a little girl, so I was so thrilled,” she says. “It was the easiest yes of my life, I was like, ‘Of course.’”

Although she may not have any professional dance experience, Nader is light on her feet and frequently breaks out into dance throughout her day. “I danced in high school, and then I dance all the time, every day, just for myself, in clubs, in the mirror, in the shower,” she says, noting that she dances along to everything from Britney Spears to “fun DJs.”

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She also plans to bring her modeling background with her to the ballroom, too. “I definitely know my body and my face,” Nader explains. “I know my sides that I like, and I feel like you're telling a story every time you're modeling, so it's kind of similar to dance in that way. I’m excited.”

She'll be accompanied on her journey by her pro partner Gleb Savchenko, whom she clicked with straight away. Although they’d only completed one rehearsal before speaking to EW, Nader notes that they already have “a good vibe” forming between them.

“I was nervous about not having a connection with my partner, because I feel like that's so important,” she says. “We struck gold with this pairing right here.”

Dancing With the Stars season 33 will premiere Sept. 17 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+, with episodes streaming the next day on Hulu.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.