Retired RTÉ newscaster Eileen Dunne and former Miss World Rosanna Davison are among the first five celebrities to be revealed for the new season of Dancing with the Stars. See who else will be joining them.
Christmas may be just around the corner, but for 12 famous faces the countdown is on for the new season of Dancing with the Stars.
This will be the seventh season of the glitziest show on telly and a shiny new group of stars are ready to cha cha cha their way on the dancefloor.
The first five were announced on The Late Late Show on Friday night - take a look at who will be hoping to bring the glitterball home!
Eileen Dunne
Eileen Dunne is a retired Irish journalist, newsreader and presenter with RTÉ. Dunne has been at the forefront of worldwide news, reporting on some of the most historic events over the last four decades. She presented her final bulletin on 18 November 2022, after forty-two years working for RTÉ.
Eileen said: "I'm feeling excited, I know it will be hard in ways, it will be challenging but I think I’m going to love every minute of it. I took very few Irish dancing lessons and attempted to take dancing lessons at one point...Bar dancing in Tamangos or The Grove in Clontarf or wherever as a teenager - that’s about the height of it!".
Rosanna Davison
Rosanna Davison is a writer, model, TV personality and beauty queen who was crowned Miss World 2003. Rosanna first came to public attention twenty years ago when she became the first Irish woman to be named Miss World. As well as being a qualified nutritionist and releasing a cookbook, Rosanna is also a mother to three young children. Beyond her pageant success, Rosanna ventured into the realm of Irish reality TV, taking part in Celebrity Salon, Celebrity Come Dine with Me, and now Dancing with the Stars.
Rosanna said: "My family like to say that I'm 'awkwardly uncool' when I'm on the dance floor, so I'm going to show them a thing or two. You forget who you used to be when you become a mum... your children take over your life, your world and your thoughts and I'm slowly starting to remember the person I used to be! I’m doing this show for my kids as well, I want them to be really proud."
David Whelan
David Whelan is the frontman of Irish indie pop rock group, Wild Youth. Since their formation in 2016, Wild Youth have enjoyed success in Ireland, becoming one of Irish radio's most- played national acts with hits including Can’t Move On and Making Me Dance. They have gone on nationwide tours and played support for massive artists like Westlife, Niall Horan and Lewis Capaldi. In 2023, Wild Youth represented Ireland at Eurovision with the track We Are One. Performance has always been a massive part of Whelan’s life, he was a Billie Barry kid and his father is a dance teacher.
David said: "I'm feeling very excited. I'm very nervous. I've never danced like this before in my life so it's a new experience, especially with a partner. Getting used to that is one thing, getting used to the fake tan is another! I don't mind the sequins; I've worn some crazy stuff in my life so far! Apart from a nightclub dance floor when I was in my mid-20s, I wouldn't say I danced a lot, but I'm loving it."
Miriam Mullins
Miriam Mullins is an Irish social media personality and radio presenter. She is known for her comedy videos on social media platform, TikTok. Miriam first gained a social media following, during the COVID-19 pandemic, with pranks, comedy and other videos. In early 2023, Miriam joined Cork's RedFM.
Miriam said: "I am so excited to be part of the show this year. It's such an amazing opportunity, a chance to meet loads of new people, make loads of new friends and hopefully show off my dancing skills, I don't know if I have them or not. We'll see! I've done the odd TikTok dance here and there. That mightn't have gone down very well with the audience, but this is a different type of dancing!"
Blu Hydrangea
Blu Hydrangea is a Belfast drag queen who rose to fame on the popular reality series RuPaul's Drag Race UK and later was crowned winner of the All-Stars season, RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs. the World. Blu quickly became known for avant garde looks on the show as well as their sense of humour. Outside of Drag Race, Blu was a mentor on the ITV show, Queens for the Night and also hosted the BBC show, Stitch, Please!
Blu said: "This is a dream come true. It was one of my New Year’s resolutions to learn to dance this year, I didn’t think it was going to happen because I was being a bit lazy and now, I’m here and I get to do it in front of the world so that’s exciting! I danced on Drag Race, if you could call it that. I’m sure some people would have some words to say about my dancing!"
Dancing with the Stars returns to RTÉ One and RTÉ Player in January 2024.
