Chris Atlee, Jonni Harrison, Kurt Fahey, Steve Sutton, Tanya Dendrinos, Tim Fares, Diana Foye, Robert Heycott, Kurt Topper, Sean O’Shannassy, Peter Buckley, Daniel Knust, Mark Simpson and Marty Haynes are the celebrity dancers for 2018.

During the last couple of months they have been trained by dancers from Kazzajazz Dance Studio.

Many of the Stars of Wollongong such as lawyer Diana Foye have never danced before.

Her choreographer and coach Darcie Clarke, 18, said teaching her was a very rewarding exercise.

It is Ms Clarke’s first time teaching someone to dance for the fundraising event and she has enjoyed every minute.

But the Saint George Illawarra Dragons’ cheerleader said she had not yet managed to talk Mrs Foye into joining her on the football field at the next home game.

“Diana has been amazing. She has picked the steps up really well. She has exceeded my expectations because of her determination. It’s all for a good cause and we are having fun while we are doing it,” she said. 

“It feels really empowering to be able to teach someone how to dance. I think it is great that the Cancer Council puts on an event like this.” 

Ms Clarke has been dancing since she was three but Mrs Foye said the only dancing she has done before “is around the lounge room with my daughters”.

She agreed to the challenge of learning to dance from scratch when she was approached last year by the Cancer Council.

The event coincides with Mrs Foye’s birthday each year.

She said it was good to have so much notice because she usually books an adventure well ahead of her big day.

This year she plans to begin her celebrations after she finishes her routine.

But prior to that her focus is doing the best she can by giving it a red hot go.

She and Ms Clarke have been working on their routine since early March and in the process raising as much money as she can.

“I am definitely not going to win based on technical skill but I have been quite competitive in my training and trying to polish it up,” Mrs Foye said.

“Darcie is amazing. She has been very pacient and very accommodating. Learning the choreography has been really challenging. I didn’t expect it to be so hard. But we have had a lot of fun.”

Mrs Foye said one of the reasons she wanted to dance for cancer this year was one of her close friends had recently been diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer.

The other thing that she has loved about being involved is how supportive the contestants are of each other.

“I know Jonni Harrison did things like help people who were under their fundraising targets by making a donation to them herself. That good-will is part of the wonderful spirit that sums up what this is all about,” she said.

Asked to use one word to describe their routine Mrs Foye and Ms Clarke both said “Sassy” at exactly the same time.

Cancer Council NSW’s free Illawarra Transport to Treatment is a completely volunteer-led program that will benefit from the efforts of all fundraisers.

It fills the gaps in local transport services to meet the needs of people affected by cancer.

Last financial year Cancer Council NSW volunteers travelled more than 13,190km to transport patients and carers from across the Illawarra to vital treatment and specialist appointments both within the Illawarra and up to Sydney.

It is seen as a great help for manty because getting to and from medical appointments is often one of the most difficult aspects of cancer treatment.

The 2018 stars have already raised more than $50,000 towards the cause prior to Saturday’s dance off.