Ilona Maher says nail salon employees asked her to stay for protection

Ilona Maher to the rescue!

The Olympic rugby player recalls a recent incident at a nail salon where she and a man were the only customers – and the staff kept her there for their protection long after her pedicure had dried.

“When I was there, the employees left, all the customers were gone, I was alone with two ladies,” said Maher, 28, recalls in a “storytime” video on TikTok. “But while I was getting it done, this guy comes in and asks for a pedicure too, so they let him sit and we both get to work.”

At first, Maher didn’t mind the wait, as she had eschewed her usual gel pedicure for regular nail polish, which takes longer to dry. But employees kept telling her to wait a little longer.

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“I wait there, no joke, an extra half hour,” the Paris Olympics bronze medalist recalled.

Eventually, the man left and the salon staff told Maher the real reason for the delay.

“And then they said, ‘Sorry we kept you so long, we just wanted you to be here with us while he was there,'” Maher explained. “And I thought: I completely understood then why they did that.”

Later, the 6-foot-2 athlete said she encountered the man outside who asked if he could come home with her — which she quickly declined. “It’s crazy out there,” Maher said.

She continued, “And I want you to know that you can keep me as long as you want, you can hold me for another hour, I will cancel my plans if you want me for safety or if you want someone to be there for a while to be. presence. It’s dangerous out there.”

Maher added that she has been treating herself to mozzarella sticks and wine “since I did my vigilante stuff tonight.”

“Seriously, stay safe ladies,” she said.