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He is the man who transformed the world of Irish dancing and propelled it to global audiences after the success of Riverdance in 1994. Three decades later, Michael Flatley (66) is still a household name. Last year, Flatley made headlines after he revealed a cancer diagnosis.
“I’m better,” he told the Irish Independent , as he said dealing with the illness has been a fight. “But that’s all right. I’ve never shied down from a good fight, and I’m a man of faith, so I believe God stands with me,” he said.
He explains how the diagnosis has affected his lifestyle and made him more health-conscious going forward. I need to start not working so hard maybe, and pay more attention “I think that would have that effect on anybody,” he said. “It’s clearly very important because I’ve got a family, a young son, and so it’s important for me to be here for him.
I need to start not working so hard maybe, and pay more attention.” Along with his home in Cork, Flatley has an impressive property portfolio including in London, the West Indies, New York, Beverly Hills, France and Italy. The dancer-turned-entrepreneur said: “Things are going great, thank God.
I’m working hard, and I’ve so many things on the go right now. The Lord of the Dance tour is going strong, and was recently in Derry, and the [self-titled] whiskey is also going strong, and will hopefully be in America next year.” Flatley and wife Niamh (51) married during a lavish ceremony in Fermoy, Co Cork, in 2006.
Asked whether their son Michael St James (17) will follow him into the world of showbiz, and whether that scares him or not, Flatley said, “I’m not sure he’ll be going into showbusiness. “He’s at Eton, and he’s doing physics, double maths and computer science so I don’t know where he’ll end up, but I’ll support him 100pc.” Eton College is one of the UK’s most exclusive public schools for boys and is located in Windsor.
Previous pupils include Britain’s Prince William and Prince Harry and actor Dominic West, with fees costing £63,000 (€75,000) per year. Explaining the reason for sending his son to the prestigious school, Flatley said: “He just did really well in the schools leading up to that. His school masters recommended where he should take his test, and he took the test and got straight in.
” It is hard when he is in boarding school, it’s terrible Yet the choreographer said he misses his son greatly during term-time and hopes he will embark on his third-level education much closer to home. “It is hard when he is in boarding school, it’s terrible," he said. “He’s applied to Oxford [University], but I’m trying to convince him to go to an Irish one.
” “We went to the All Blacks game in Dublin last week, so he flew in to see that with me, but it would be great if we were just closer.” Flatley was born in Chicago, Illinois, but his mother and father are from Co Carlow and Co Sligo respectively. They emigrated to the US in the 1940s.
Revealing whether he will jump on the latest celebrity trend and renew his wedding vows to his other half, who is from Co Meath, Flatley said: “We’ve done that already, and I’m sure there is another one coming up soon. “It’s not hard being married to a beautiful woman like Niamh – I’m so blessed.”.
