'Absolutely devastated' - Ilona Maher shares heartbreak after missing invitations for screening of sequel of favorite movie

Olympic medalist rugby player Ilona Maher recently shared the news of a heartbreak. Maher allegedly missed out on an invitation to the premiere of Zootopia 2.

Zootopia 2 is the sequel to the buddy cop animated movie released in 2016 by the Walt Disney Animation Studios. The sequel has been co-directed by Byron Howard and Jared Bush. Bush has also written the screenplay for this film.

Ilona Maher shared her reaction to the 'snub' by posting her reaction on her Instagram story. The rugby player wrote in the caption of the Instagram story,

"Absolutely devastated I wasn't invited to the Zootopia 2 premiere. They must not know that it is one of my favorite movies and an absolute masterpiece to me."

Screengrab of Ilona Maher's Instagram story [Image Source : Ilona Maher's Instagram]

Ilona Maher was last seen in action at the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025, which was hosted and eventually won by England. Despite a decent performance, Team USA couldn't progress beyond the league stage, in stark contrast to their previous performance at the 2021 edition, where they qualified for the quarterfinals.

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When Ilona Maher opened up about the change in perspectives about athletes on social media

Ilona Maher at the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 Pool A [Image Source: Getty]

Ilona Maher is well known for her strong social media presence. The Olympic bronze medalist previously opened up about the shift in perspective on athletes on social media. Maher mentioned in a conversation with the 'Female Athlete Project' podcast,

"Now people have put me in the box of the content creator, and don't believe in me so much as an athlete, which is so interesting. The way social media can reach people and how it's changed my life has been, I mean, crazy, and that's what all female athletes want, right? We want sponsorships. We want deals. And I found that was the way to do that."

The rugby player further added,

"But I think don't forget to how hard we worked and don't let people minimise that. It's not maybe boasting, it's just about being. It's a fact. You've worked to get there. You've worked hard to get there. Don't let somebody think that false modesty is the key."

Ilona Maher contributed to a historic bronze medal for Team USA in the women's rugby sevens event at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The rugby player also won the ESPY award in 2025 for the Best Breakthrough Athlete.

Edited by Animesh Pandey