After being the first star to be eliminated in this season’s Dancing With The Stars, Nadia Bartel has no time to sulk – even if she wanted to.
Instead, the Henne co-founder and mum of two is ‘dancing’ her way through a series of non-stop media interviews today. As we speak, she’s sitting at the Channel Seven offices where she has a “few things in a row” before she goes live on the Morning Show.
Yet, despite her busy schedule, Nadia doesn’t seem rushed or annoyed. Instead, much like a good friend, she chats with Woman’s Day as if she has all the time in the world.
And, of course, beyond the pleasantries, the first thing we ask the star is what we all want to know: Did you have a feeling you were going to get eliminated?
Candidly and without hesitation, Nadia responds, “Yeah, I did have a feeling I was going to get eliminated. I knew I was in the bottom when I heard the judges give me that score for my second performance to the tango.
“I didn’t think I did too bad. But when I saw that score, I thought, ‘Oh, I’m out for elimination tonight.’”
A WHOLE ‘DIFFERENT BALL GAME’
That being said, while she’s “a little bit disappointed” that she was eliminated, Nadia has come to terms with it.
“I would have loved to have stayed in the competition longer and showcase more of what I could do, learn more dances and dance routines as well,” she says.
“But I respect the judges’ decision. And I understand what they were saying as well.”
Nadia admits to feeling a bit off her game last night. “I did get a little bit nervous when I was out there performing. And, you know, it was hard because I put in so many hours. I was nailing it at rehearsals.
“But in getting out there and getting up on stage, it’s a whole different ball game. It’s a little bittersweet to be honest.”
After her first performance on Dancing, Nadia was met with some harsh feedback. So naturally, getting up on stage afterward wasn’t the easiest for the fashion influencer.
“To be honest, I felt really shaky getting up on stage to the second performance, my elimination dance. I felt like I couldn’t breathe,” she confesses.
“I was already nervous getting up on stage in the first place because I’m not used to being a stage performer. And when I did that second dance, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t breathe’.
“But then it was funny, once I got out there, I was okay. I felt like it was one of my best performances. The nerves weren’t too bad once I started dancing.”
OUT OF HER COMFORT ZONE
Nadia has been open in the past about not having any dance experience. In that light, going on Dancing With The Stars was a brave choice. She put herself out there and grew a lot in the process.
“It was very much out of my comfort zone,” she says. “I knew that before starting the show, but I didn’t realise how hard it would be with the technique and all the different things involved in the show.
“But you know, every time you do something that’s really uncomfortable, you learn so much from it and you grow more than you realise. Looking back, there’s so much I can take out of this experience.”
Even more, putting herself out there showed her boys that number one: their mum is incredible and two, that it’s the journey that matters, not just the outcome.
“To show my boys that it’s fine to do something and not always be amazing at everything [is important]. Like sometimes when they play a certain sport or things to go right for them at school and they want to give up, it’s fine to not always get the best result that you want.
“You can’t always be perfect in life. And that’s something I’ve had to learn myself. I was someone who’s always been academically really strong at school. I was also someone that was always very good at sports.
“But I was just doing things that I was comfortable doing, so no wonder I excelled.”
On Dancing, Nadia admits that she knew it would be a different story. “I knew that this would be a little bit tough for me, but out of that, I’ve shown myself that I’m more resilient than I thought.
“Now when I get up on stage for business talks or presenting, I’ll be more confident because I know how to handle my nerves better.”
IT TAKES A VILLAGE
Looking back at all the rehearsing she had to do and the time spent away from her young sons Aston and Henley, Nadia is grateful for the support she had. “It was a bit of a juggle with the boys. Some of the rehearsing was in Melbourne and the other in Sydney,” she explains.
“So when in Melbourne, I tried to pick up my boys from school where I could. But dancing, training at nighttime, early mornings, it was a lot. So much more goes into it than it looks like on the show.”
With her nonstop schedule, Nadia relied a lot on her parents and her partner Pete. “I was lucky I could do school pickups and put the boys to bed. But in the other moments, my parents helped a lot.
“And Pete was also amazing with the boys. I was so lucky that I had their support because I wouldn’t have been able to do it otherwise,” she shared.
As a successful business owner, Nadia, like many women, is all too familiar with trying to find the ‘balance’ between ambition and motherhood.
“You want to show your children that you’re working hard. But you also don’t want to miss out on those special moments with them, especially when they’re young.
But she also knows that it’s good for them to see mummy kicking goals. “Even though they miss me at times, it’s important for them to see that you have to work hard. You have to put the hours in.
“I take them to my office in Melbourne or our stores and they can see all the hard work that goes into it.”
A STAR MUM AND BUSINESS OWNER
However, one of their favourite roles to see mum in was probably on Dancing. “They were super pumped mum was going to be on TV,” she smiles.
When they watched her perform, Henley and Aston couldn’t have been more proud. “My mom watched the first episode with the boys, and they loved it. My little boy was crying at the end. He was really emotional, but they thought it was an amazing performance.”
Now that Dancing With The Stars is behind her, Nadia is rooting for a few of her favourites to make it to the finish line. “Samantha Jade has been so incredible. Lisa McCune is just a great performer. I loved watching Shane Crawfod as well. I just can’t wait to see who wins!”
A long time fan of Dancing, Nadia also admits that she’s a big fan of this genre particularly. “I love my crime shows,” she admits. “I’m really into quite a few crime podcasts as well.”
As for what’s next for the star, she doesn’t see another reality show in her future. “I don’t know if reality TV is really my thing. I liked it. But, for me, I’m really focusing on Henne, my fashion label.
“We have a lot of goals that we want to kick. We want to open more stores. We’ve just opened a Sydney store, which has done incredibly well.
“But I always love presenting and anything to do with fashion and connecting with people. So who knows what the future might hold, but at the moment, it’s just my boys and Henne.”
