Michael Flatley is a legend in Irish dancing and is well know for redefining the dance and showcasing it to an international audience after the success of Riverdance in 1994.
Yet now, three decades later, the 66-year-old remains a solid household name in Ireland and globally.
The dancer is the father to son Michael Jr, who studies at an elite boarding school in England.
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When asked whether or not his 17-year-old son will be following in his superstar father’s footsteps in the future, Flatley told the Irish Independent, “I’m not sure he’ll be going into show business.
“He’s at Eton, and doing physics, double maths and computer science so I don’t know where he’ll end up, but I’ll support him 100%”
Past pupils of Eton College include both Prince Harry and Prince William, with fees costing €75,000 a year, making it one of the UK’s most exclusive public school.
The Riverdance star justified his choice in sending his son there saying: “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.”
The dancer turned entrepreneur admitted that he does miss his son while he’s away in the boarding school and has hoped that the 17-year-old will return to Ireland for his third-level education.
“It’s hard when he’s in boarding school, it’s terrible. He’s applied to Oxford University but I’m trying to convince him to go to an Irish one”.
When he spoke about his wife, who he wed in 2006 in Cork, the dancer gushed saying: “It’s not hard to be married to a beautiful woman like Niamh-I’m so blessed”.
The dancer made headlines last year when he opened up about his cancer diagnosis.
The Chicago-born Irishman said that the cancer affected his lifestyle and encouraged him to be more health-conscious in the future.
“I think that would have that affect on anybody” he stated, then adding "I’ve never shied down from a good fight”.
When appearing on ITV’s Good Morning Britain after revealing his diagnosis, he assured the presenters that he was feeling “pretty good”.
Speaking to ITV’s Good Morning Britain, he told presenters he was “feeling pretty good” while preparing to tour the UK with a new version of the Lord of the Dance show.
The dancing legend said: “I think, for anybody who finds themselves in this position, the most important thing is a positive mental attitude.
“Just be positive. I never entertained the possibility that this could be fatal in any way.
“I’ve always focused on the positive, and I surrender myself to the the lord and he saw me through this.”
Flatley also told presenters that the diagnosis was to be blamed on a house fire in 2016, and continued saying that he was “one of the most fit men in Ireland” before the fire, and that his health only began failing him after it.
The dancer is one of five children born to Sligo plumber Michael James Flatley and his wife, Carlow step dancer Eileen Ryan, whose mother was a champion Irish dancer.
Michael Flatley has talked about growing up in the US the hard way and how his success is largely due to his father's work ethic, which was ingrained in him from an early age.
In addition to his Cork residence, Flatley also owns properties in London, New York, Beverly Hills, France, and Italy.
English (US) ·