Reality TV

Turner: 'I drank black ants before DWTS'

Published Thursday, Apr 15 2010, 08:35 BST | By Rebecca Davies

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Dancing With The Stars - Aiden Turner and Edyta Sliwinska

Aiden Turner has revealed that he used to drink "black ant" smoothies before performing on Dancing with the Stars.

The soap star, who was eliminated from the reality TV show on Tuesday night, said that the drinks with strange ingredients are intended to "relieve anxiety" and pre-performance nerves.

Turner told Us Magazine before his eviction: "I'm drinking a lot of protein shakes from [organic market] Erewhon, right around the corner."

He added that the smoothies are made to "put you in a zen place" and contained ingredients such as Chinese herbs, almond butter, "dragon bone" and "black ants".

"Yes, black ants," he said. "They are blended into your smoothie, you don't taste them. [The drink] costs like $30 (£19). It really relieves anxiety."

After his elimination, Turner said: "It's fate, you know? You can't argue with fate," while his dance partner Edyta Sliwinska complained that the judges "didn't really give him a chance to spread his wings".