Yahoo Lifestyle 
Emily Weir reveals advice Home and Away cast gave her for DWTS
EXCLUSIVE: Emily Weir opens up about her experience on Dancing with the Stars ahead of the grand finale.
From Chris Hemsworth to Lincoln Lewis, inaugural winner Bec Hewitt to two-time competitor Ada Nicodemou, Dancing with the Stars has seen a number of Home and Away cast members take to the dance floor over the past two decades.
This year’s season of the popular reality show sees Emily Weir competing for the coveted mirror ball trophy, with the actress set to compete in Sunday night’s grand finale alongside five other Australian celebrities.
Speaking with Yahoo Lifestyle about her experience, the 32-year-old actress shares that she received plenty of advice from her co-stars about how to handle the competition.
“They were just like, it's really hard, it will really test your body,” she recalls. “Rest as much as you can, don’t do anything else but rest and do this. Don’t plan anything else in your life because it will really take up your time, and they were right.
“And to really look after your body because that's the thing, it can really ruin your experience if you've cracked a rib or [injured your ankle] like Matt Preston. It’s not enjoyable if you're in pain, like really bad pain. So it was all about strengthening and looking after your body during the process was the main advice.”
RELATED:
Dancing with the Stars contestants' surprising salaries revealed
Home and Away's Sophie Dillman on falling in love in the workplace
While Emily describes her DWTS experience as a “magical dream”, she admits she found the training to be quite gruelling.
“I’m a runner and I go to the gym and [I do] yoga, that kind of stuff, but it's totally different,” she explains. “You're pushing your body in such different ways.
“I couldn't walk for a lot of the days after particular trainings and I had to get needles in my bum and my groin was really sore and I could barely walk. Thankfully, it was never to the point where I couldn't perform, but that happens.
“You have to be really careful, it’s really testing on the body - especially with lifts and holding your body weight correctly. And I'm a baller, I was like, ‘Let's go for it, throw me around, I really want to risk it for the biscuit’.”
'Really special'
With just a couple of days before this year's champion is announced, Emily says it would be “fantastic” to win the series and donate the prize money to her charity of choice.
“I'm happy whoever wins. Just to have this experience and get as far as I get in the competition is really the win for me,” she shares.
“But to be able to win and to give money to my charity, The Sydney Retreat for people in recovery and who can't afford recovery and things like that, that for me would be the biggest win to be able to put really good money towards a really great cause.”
SHOP:
She adds that joining the competition is one of the best things she’s decided to do in her career thus far.
“Just because of the nature of it, the challenge of it, and the reward of performing in that way,” she details. “It was a really special time, so I'm just feeling really grateful and excited to celebrate with everyone, however it goes.”
Dancing with the Stars continues Sunday 7pm on Channel 7 and 7plus.
Never miss a thing. Sign up to Yahoo Lifestyle’s daily newsletter.
Or if you have a story idea, email us at lifestyle.tips@yahooinc.com.
