Susie O’Neill on her reality TV move

Olympic swimmer and former radio star Susie O’Neill has swapped her swimwear for leotards, as she prepares to venture into reality TV.

Susie O'Neill is set to join the cast of Dancing with the Stars 2025. Photo: Nova 106.9

Olympic swimmer and former radio star Susie O’Neill has swapped her swimwear for leotards, with the swimmer set to appear as a contestant on Dancing With The Stars later this year.

Speaking to Ash, Luttsy and Nikki this morning on Nova 106.9, the former Nova star described her preparation for the competition as “brutal”.

“I’ve had MRIs on both my feet, I’ve got stress reactions and I’m considering a cortisone injection on my left foot,” she said.

“Think I’m built for the water. I don’t think I realised how hard it was being on the land and you know.”

Revealing she has been training 40 hours a week for the past five weeks, she admits she impulsively said yes to the final spot in the competition just days before Christmas.

“I can’t dance but I think it’s about putting myself out there,” she said.

Susie O'Neill is a former host of the Nova 106.9 breakfast show. Picture: Supplied

“It’s so much harder than I expected. Everyone keeps it a secret.”

“And then when I started doing it, I’m like why the f**k am I doing this show?”

Her first two performances are the tango and the foxtrot.

“My first dance is a tango and my second dance is a foxtrot which I feel a bit more comfortable with. I look really jerky,” she said.

She said she was worried about looking terrified on TV.

“My daughter’s come out to watch me actually. She goes ‘mum, can you try to dance without looking like you’ve got a gun to your head?,” she joked.

She will now remain in Sydney for the next four weeks while the show is filmed, with the show set to air on Channel 7 and 7Plus later this year.