Evanna Lynch On ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Partner Keo Motsepe: ‘He Gives Me Faith To Be Myself’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Esteemed Harry Potter alum Evanna Lynch has been taught a lot more than just dance moves by her Dancing With The Stars partner, Keo Motsepe. Since beginning her journey in September, Evanna shared he taught her to embrace who she is. “He just gives me faith to be myself,” she revealed exclusively to Closer Weekly.

The 27-year-old’s journey on Season 27 of DWTS didn’t start off as well as she may have hoped. “I heard a lot of people [online] saying, ‘Oh, you’re too shy, you need to come out of your shell more.’ And I definitely started to feel like, guilty of that,” Evanna recalled. “When I first came on the show, I noticed that other people became friends really quickly, and I was still really struggling. I felt like a weirdo. And that’s kind of something that just happened to me my whole life.”

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The My Name Is Emily star was determined to open up, and with Keo’s help, she slowly — but surely — did. “He said ‘I was actually expecting this day to come, I know how hard it is to fit in,'” Evanna explained. “He listened to me and he also encouraged me.”

Keo, 28, even had a few tricks up his sleeve to help Evanna feel more comfortable at rehearsals. “He would do things like ‘let’s go sit in the lobby now that we’re on a five-minute break from rehearsals, that’s how you’re going to meet people,'” Evanna said while noting that even though it worked, she would definitely get in her head.

Fast forward two months to the semi-finals round on Nov. 12. After avoiding elimination, Evanna and Keo are moving into Week 9 as one of just four couples remaining. “It’s been so great watching Evanna grow as a dancer,” Keo gushed to Closer. “Last week [Week 8] she proved to everyone but most importantly, she proved to herself that she has what it takes to be a dancer,” Keo said of their Country Night dance where the couple received their first perfect score. “I could not be prouder of my partner.”

With the competition coming down to the wire, the dancing duo is so close to claiming the title of Mirror Ball Champions. Keo said taking home the win would symbolize their “partnership, hard work, and growth, but it would also prove to Evanna that the strongest magic is the one found within,” he proudly gushed. “That she has what it takes to make all her dreams come true and that all she needs is trust herself and her abilities.”

Well, Keo and Evanna are definitely getting our vote! If you are interested in following the rest of the pair’s journey on DWTS, tune in to ABC on Monday at 8:00 p.m. EST for the finals!

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