Basmah Qazi
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“He thought I couldn’t do it”: Cassandra Thorburn reveals the real reason she went on Dancing With The Stars

She’s recently made headlines after her high profile divorce from ex-husband and former Today show host Karl Stefanovic, but now Cassandra Thorburn is leaving all that behind as she competes on reality TV series, Dancing With The Stars.

When asked by The Sunday Telegraph on what exactly made her want to compete on the show, the response was unexpected as the mother-of-three revealed that it was her teenage son's lack of support that drove her towards the competition.

“I went to Jackson, my eldest, and I said, ‘I think I’m going to do DWTS’ and he turned and said, ‘No, you’re not – you can’t f***ing dance’ and right then and there I decided it was time I learnt to dance. So I signed up,” explained Thorburn.

“If Jackson – who did 10 years of ballet – thinks I can’t dance, then I’m going to learn to dance.”

But her teenage son wasn’t the only one who inspired the 47-year-old to reach for the stars, as earlier in the year, she told The Daily Telegraph about a conversation she had with her late father Max that changed her perspective on everything.

It was one of the last conversations I had with my dad before he passed away,” she said. “(He told me) If you said no … you will regret it one day.”

She also enjoys challenges, and with one knocking on her doorstep, it was hard to pass up.

“I love a challenge, love a challenge, I’m quite sprightly about challenges,” she said.

Despite the heartfelt revelation, Thorburn hasn’t started off on the right foot, as after a rough week, she and her dancing partner Marco de Angelis finished on the bottom of the leader board.

“I did have a bit of a cry the other day with Marco and the producer but at the end of the day I did put myself in this position and I knew that this would be the case and I’m trying to show people that when life throws you a curve ball don’t think that’s it,” she told The Sunday Telegraph.

“Things can change, things can look up, just keep putting one foot in front of the other – fake it until you make it and one day you wake up and you’re really happy. It actually becomes a reality.”

Thorburn also shared that she signed up to DWTS in the hope of “reclaiming” her identity.

“If other women or men from separated families – if they get inspiration from that, fantastic. I’m doing it because that’s what I need to do for my family. A lot of women are in the same position as me – they’ve raised children and are trying to get back into the workforce – that’s what this is,” she said.

Are you rooting for Cassandra to come out on top on DWTS? Let us know in the comments below. 

Tags:
DWTS, Cassandra Thorburn, TV, Family