DANDANCING WITH THE STARS RETURNS TO SHAKE UP SUNDAY NIGHTS
Reigning Rose of Tralee Katelyn Cummins blossoms with the highest score of the first episode – 31 points
Shaking up our Sunday evenings with handfuls of glitter and spellbinding dance performances, the ninth series of Dancing with the Stars burst onto Irish television screens earlier tonight. A brand new judge, a new presenter and three new professional dancers took to the dancefloor tonight for the opening episode of the ninth series of Dancing with the Stars.
The twelve celebrities along with their pro dancers, the four judges Oti Mabuse, Brian Redmond, Arthur Gourounlian and Karen Byrne who opened the show by performing a group dance to We Are Family by Cedric Gervais x Nile Rodgers.
Couple 1
First up were Eurovision winner and singer Niamh Kavanagh and Stephen Vincent opened the show and danced a Salsa to 1-2-3 Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine.
They scored 17 points.
Couple 2
Olympic medal winning rower and doctor Philip Doyle and Daniela Roze danced a Waltz to Love is On the Way by Billy Porter.
They scored 22 points.
Couple 3
Podcaster Amber Wilson and Alex Vladimirov danced the Cha Cha Cha to Woman’s World from Katy Perry. Amber and Alex are the first female dance pairing in the history of the series.
They scored 14 points.
Couple 4
Comedian and actor Michael Fry and Kylee Vincent took on the Quickstep to Goodbye Mr. A by The Hoosiers.
They scored 21 points.
Couple 5
Nationwide presenter Anne Cassin and Robert Rowiński graced the dancefloor with an elegant Foxtrot to I Wanna Be Loved By You sung by Sinéad O’Connor.
They scored 23 points.
Couple 6
Apprentice UK finalist Jordan Dargan and Rebecca Scott danced a sizzling Salsa to Desire by Years & Years.
They scored 28 points.
Couple 7
Singer – songwriter Brian Kennedy and James Cutler danced a Viennese Waltz to Piano Man by Billy Joel.
They scored 23 points.
Couple 8
Musician Tolü Makay and Maciej Zięba danced a Samba to Hello from Sigala x Leigh-Anne x Jonita Gandhi.
They scored 27 points
Couple 9
Fair City actress Stephanie Kelly and Ervinas Merfeldas performed American Smooth to Please Please Please from singer Sabrina Carpenter.
They scored 19 points.
Couple 10
Ireland AM presenter Eric Roberts and Arianna Favaro shook things up with a Jive to Shake a Tail Feather by The Blues Brothers and Ray Charles.
They scored 29 points.
Couple 11
Reigning Rose of Tralee Katelyn Cummins and Leonardo Lini danced a tantalizing Tango to The Fate of Ophelia by Taylor Swift.
They scored 31 points – the highest score for the first episode.
Couple 12
Paudie Moloney from The Traitors Ireland and Laura Nolan Cha Cha Cha A Little Less Conversation by Elvis vs. JXL
They scored 13 points.
Three new professional dancers Arianna Favaro, Leonardo Lini, and James Cutler joined returning dancers Laura Nolan, Robert Rowiński, Ervinas Merfeldas, Stephen Vincent, Kylee Vincent, Maciej Zieba, Rebecca Scott, Daniela Roze and Alex Vladimirov.
The glitz, glamour, and nail-biting competition will all continue next week with the first elimination taking place a week earlier than previous series.
Dancing with the Stars is hosted by Jennifer Zamparelli and Laura Fox.
Each celebrity couple will be scored by an expert panel of four judges: Oti Mabuse, Brian Redmond, Arthur Gourounlian and Karen Byrne, and as well as the viewing public at home, with the winning couple claiming the much-coveted glitterball trophy at the end of the series.
Follow all the action as it happens every Sunday night live with the RTÉ Entertainment tracker:
Live: As it happens: Dancing with the Stars returns!
-ENDS-
Date: Sunday January 4 2026
For further information:
Rayna Connery, RTÉ Senior Communications Lead
Notes to Editor:
Link to studio performance photos: https://we.tl/t-OzqChxjebY
Photography credit: Kyran O’Brien
Link to high resolution images of all 12 celebrities, pairings with pro dancers, presenters and judges available to download here: https://bitly.cx/tbXG
Photography credit: Barry McCall
Dancing with the Stars is produced by ShinAwiL for RTÉ.
Dancing with the Stars is proudly sponsored by Hyundai.
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