'I even surprised myself' - Nina Carberry new Dancing With The Stars favourite

Nina Carberry made a habit of pulling performances out of the bag during a spellbinding career in the saddle but even she admitted to being surprised at stealing the show on RTE's Dancing With The Stars television programme on Sunday night.

Ladbrokes shortened Carberry's odds into 2-1 favourite after her debut dance, with the multiple Cheltenham Festival and Irish Grand National-winning rider revealing she is relishing her new challenge.

"I got such an adrenaline rush," Carberry said on Monday. "It's nice to be a part of the show and it's been unbelievably fun so far. I even surprised myself on Sunday. It took me two weeks to learn half of that dance, never mind the full thing, so it took a while to get the hang of it."

Nina Carberry at home with daughter RosieCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Carberry added: "My dance partner Pasquale [La Rocca] is an unbelievable mentor and he's doing a fantastic job. A lot of the praise has to go to him. I was so frustrated for the first two weeks because I couldn't get any of the steps. It was really hard.

"Pasquale pushed me all of the way and, when I was able to stay in rhythm on Sunday, I was delighted. We put so much effort in we just hoped it would go well. I was just so happy to get to the end of the dance without tripping or standing on Pasquale's foot!"

It was at the Punchestown festival in 2018 when Carberry announced her retirement upon returning to the winner's enclosure aboard the Enda Bolger-trained Josies Orders.

Nina Carberry: 'It's the hardest thing I've done in my whole life'

There are no intentions to return to race-riding but, such is the demands of her schedule, Carberry joked that she would certainly be light enough and fit enough to make a Michael Jordan-style return.

She said: "I was back in the yard on Monday before practicing in the evening with Pasquale. There's no rest up for me – I'm not on the walker or out in the field, I'm in full work!

"I'm definitely not overweight anymore and I'd be fit enough to return to the saddle – I'd even ride one at bottom weight if I had to!"

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