Meteorologist Joanna Donnelly revealed as the final celebrity contestant for Dancing with the Stars 2025
Meteorologist Joanna Donnelly revealed as the final celebrity contestant for Dancing with the Stars 2025
Forecast is fabulous with 100% chance of sparkle as Joanna takes to the dancefloor
Meterologist Joanna Donnelly is the final celebrity contestant for this season’s glittering lineup of Dancing with the Stars. The series returns to RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Sunday January 5th at 6:30pm.
With 25 years as a meteorologist under her belt, Joanna has been keeping audiences calm through even the stormiest of forecasts.
Now, she’s ready to twist her way into a whole new kind of front – on the dance floor! Joanna said: “I’m ready to get my feet moving! I’ve watched the show all these years, and all I want to do is learn how to dance. I had an Irish dancing lesson back in 1979 and my mother spent a year’s savings on an Irish dancing costume, but I did one Feis and then quit. She never let me live it down! But she was a huge fan of Dancing with the Stars, so she’s definitely got my back on this.”
Joanna’s passion for weather doesn’t stop at the green screen. She is also the author of The Great Irish Weather Book, inspiring a new generation of weather enthusiasts.
Joanna is the final celebrity dancer to be announced. The celebrity and pro-dancer pairings will be revealed on Monday December 16th. On Friday night’s Late Late Show, broadcaster and Ireland AM presenter Elaine Crowley, celebrity chef Kevin Dundon, pommel horse Olympic gold medallist Rhys McClenaghan, actress Yasmin Seky and social media star Kayleigh Trappe were revealed as five of the 11 hopefuls vying for the glitterball trophy.
Earlier this week, Eurovision singer Mickey Joe Harte, Irish taekwondo Olympian Jack Woolley, comedian Gearóid Farrelly, Mrs. Brown’s Boys actor Danny O’Carroll and former Miss Universe Ireland, Aishah Akorede were revealed as the first five hopefuls who will be vying for the glitterball trophy in early 2025.
The glitz, glamour, and nail-biting competition will all unfold when the new season returns to RTÉ One and RTÉ Player next month. Dancing with the Stars will be hosted by Jennifer Zamparelli and Doireann Garrihy again this season. The two-time Dancing with the Stars winner and professional dancer Karen Byrne will join the judging panel in 2025 alongside longstanding judges Loraine Barry, Brian Redmond and Arthur Gourounlian.
-ENDS-
Date: Saturday December 14th 2024
Photography credit: Barry McCall
RTÉ Communications: Rayna Connery and Éadaoin Nic Giolla Chomhaill
ABOUT DANCING WITH THE STARS 2025
Filling our Sunday evenings with glitz and glamour from January, the RTÉ One series sees 11 well-known figures team up with a professional dancer to perform a live routine every week. Each pairing will have a different dancing genre to master every week, from the Charleston to hip hop, and they’ll have just seven days to perfect their routine before performing live to the nation.
Each celebrity couple will be scored by an expert panel of four judges and the viewing public at home, with the winning couple claiming the much-coveted glitter ball trophy at the end of the series.
Dancing with the Stars is produced by ShinAwiL for RTÉ.
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