Ilona Maher Unknowingly Protected Women at a Nail Salon: ‘I Did My Vigilante Stuff’

Ilona Maher is always ready to step in to help a fellow woman in a potentially dangerous situation.

“I went and got a pedicure and I went there about an hour [or] an hour and a half before they closed so I was one of the last customers to be in there,” the Olympian, 28, said in an Instagram video shared on Sunday, October 27. “As I was in there, employees were leaving [and] all the customers were gone. It was just me and two ladies.”

Maher added that while she was in the middle of getting her treatment, a man walked into the salon asking for a pedicure as well.

“So they sit him down and you know we’re both getting worked on,” she recalled. “And mine gets done but I got regular nail polish, I didn’t get gel this time so it means it has to take time to dry.”

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As Maher’s nails dried, the employees put her sandals on but advised her to wait a little longer. The workers were still tending to the man and weren’t ready to send Maher out yet.

“I wait there for, no joke, probably an extra half hour [to] 25 minutes from when it was all done,” she said. “Then they finished up on him, [and] he leaves. Then finally they’re like ‘OK, we’ll close you out now.'”

While Maher was ready to leave, the workers apologized for keeping her longer than they initially expected and explained their reasoning.

“Then they said, ‘Sorry we kept you so long. We just wanted you to be here with us while he was there.’ And I was like I totally understood then why they did that,” she reflected. “It’s a crazy world out there.”

After her exchange with the women in the salon, Maher was unexpectedly greeted by the man as she left the business.

“As I’m walking out, this guy looks me in my eye and says 'Can I go home with you?' And then I’m like, ‘No.’ and he says, ‘Why not?’ I just keep walking,” she said. “It’s insane out there.”

Maher shared that after that experience, she is more than happy to stay by anyone’s side whenever they feel uncomfortable or unsafe — and time is not an issue.

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“I want you to know you can keep me for as long as you want. You can keep me for another hour,” she added. “I’ll cancel my plans if you want me for safety or you want somebody there just [to] be a presence.”

Following those encounters, Maher joked that she was rewarding herself with a special treat.

“Since I did my vigilante stuff tonight I bought myself mozzarella sticks. That’s my oven that’s going and I’m having a glass of wine,” she said. “Seriously stay safe ladies, travel together. Do your thing.”

Maher became a household name after winning a bronze medal for rugby at the 2024 Paris Olympics . She is currently competing on Dancing With the Stars .