
Dancing with the Stars welcomes a new judge for 2025
Two-time Dancing with the Stars winner Karen Byrne to join the Dancing with the Stars judging panel in January
RT announced today that 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.
Returning once again to RT One and RT Player in January 2025, Dancing with the Stars promises to bring glitter, glamour and dazzling performances to audiences in the new year.
Karen is a celebrated Ballroom and Latin dancer from Ballyfermot, best known for her standout performances on Dancing with the Stars, Karen featured as a pro dancer for seven seasons. She is a two-time winner of the coveted glitterball trophy, most recently in 2024 with Paralympian Jason Smyth and in 2018 with singer Jake Carter. Karen has represented Ireland at international dance competitions, teaches at her own studio in Inchicore and has a weekly podcast The Carter Couch with her partner Jake Carter and his brother Nathan - and occasionally Lenny the Cavapoo dog getting in on the action too!
Karen Byrne said, I am absolutely delighted to join the judges panel for my eighth season of Dancing with the Stars. Having been lucky enough to win it twice and working with all my incredible dance partners, it will feel strange sitting on the other side of the desk. I can't believe it I have to pinch myself! It doesn't feel real I don't think it will feel real until I sit in the chair. I've always looked at the judges seats and thought that must be the best seat in the house. Oh my god I get to hold a paddle!
The DWTS journey is the best, this show is in my veins I absolutely love it. I feel so honoured to now be on the judges panel with the fabulous Loraine Barry, Brian Redmond and Arthur Gourounlian. Let the madness commence please can it be January already?
Head judge Loraine Barry commented: I'm thrilled to be heading into season eight of DWTS Ireland especially as we welcome the two-time champion Miss Karen Byrne to the judging panel. Karen is fresh off the dance floor into the judging seat and I look forward to working with her.
Arthur Gourounlian commented: I am over the moon to be returning for my fourth season of Dancing with the Stars! The thought of reuniting with this amazing DWTS family, sharing unforgettable moments, and diving into all the excitement we have in store fills me with so much joy. And what can I say about the incredible Karen? After watching her grace the dance floor with pure magic for three seasons, I'm beyond thrilled to now share the judging panel with her. It's going to be absolutely electrifying! Now, let's be honest the biggest question of the season might just be: who's going to win the battle of the biggest hair? Stay tuned. It's going to be an unforgettable ride.
Brian Redmond added: I'm delighted to be back on the judging panel for Dancing with the Stars 2025. I'm chuffed that Karen will be joining us on the judging panel this year after winning two glitterballs and seven seasons on the show, I think she's earned her place. I'm sure she'll challenge me, and maybe I'll challenge her, but it all makes for great excitement ahead of the new year. I can't wait to welcome Karen along to become the first fourth judge on Dancing with Stars. Roll on the new year!
Dancing with the Stars will be hosted by Jennifer Zamparelli and Doireann Garrihy again this season.
The first celebrity taking to the dance floor for the brand-new season of Dancing with the Stars will be announced on Monday December 9th.
-ENDS-
Date: Friday December 6th 2024
RT Communications:
Rayna Connery and adaoin Nic Giolla Chomhaill
About Dancing with the Stars 2025
Filling our Sunday evenings with glitz and glamour from January, the RT 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 RT .
Dancing with the Stars is proudly sponsored by Hyundai.
For all the latest news and backstage gossip on Dancing with the Stars, keep an eye on our social channels:
Instagram: @RTEOne & @DWTSIrl
TikTok: @RTEOne
Facebook: @RTEOne
Twitter: @RTEOne @DWTSIrl
#DWTSIrl
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
27/03/2026
Marshall Electronics Showcases New Feature-Rich CV320 and CV520 IP and 3G-SDI PO...
27/03/2026
Sony Electronics Inc. Elevates Professional Video Workflows with Powerful Update...
27/03/2026
GatesAir Extends AirWatch365 Managed Service with Edge Gateway Site Appliance
Brie Clayton March 27, 2026
0 Comments
NAB marks global launch of servic...
27/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/03/2026
At NAB Show 2026, Net Insight will showcase the next evolution of Nimbra Edge, its orchestration and control layer designed to manage live media services across...
27/03/2026
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced powerful new innovations that further elevate the company's sports streaming solution. The advanced capabilities enh...
27/03/2026
Bitmovin, the leading provider of video streaming solutions, today announced significant new capabilities for Player Web X, its next-generation web video player...
27/03/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Czech-based production company CS live has equipped its newest outside broadcast (OB) van with an integrated Riedel i...
27/03/2026
130 Industry Experts Confirmed as Show Celebrates its 10th Anniversary
MPTS, the UK's largest and most influential event for the media, production and tech...
27/03/2026
Grass Valley today announced the successful completion of a major live production deployment with NVP, a leading European media company specializing in live spo...
27/03/2026
Showcases resilient solutions for satellite-to-IP migration, REMI and hybrid live production
Appear ASA (Appear, OSE:APR), a global leader in live production t...
27/03/2026
San Francisco, California, March 2026 - Microsoft Ignite, a major annual conference hosted by Microsoft for developers, IT professionals, partners and business ...
27/03/2026
Clear-Com is proud to highlight its support for worship teams through professional communication solutions, with the deployment of its EQUIP wireless system a...
27/03/2026
Orban Collaborates with Sage on Virtualized EAS Technology Demo
Brie Clayton March 26, 2026
0 Comments
Sage Alerting Systems (SAS), in cooperation wit...
27/03/2026
Berklee Alums Bring GIANT to Broadway Brian and Dayna Lee BM '13 met and fell in love at Berklee, and now their production companys first Broadway debut i...
27/03/2026
RT Supporting the Arts
RT is Supporting 20 Arts and Cultural Events all over Ireland this April
RT is proud to support an exciting month of arts and cul...
27/03/2026
Average of 1.37 million viewers watched Irish World Cup heartbreak on RT 2
Over one million streams on RT Player
Highest number of streams for any single eve...
27/03/2026
March 27 2026, 01:30 (PDT) Dolby Unveils Dolby House Shanghai, its First Global Flagship Experience Center
A New Global Platform Showcasing Dolbys Innovatio...
27/03/2026
March 27 2026, 03:30 (PDT) Dolby and QQ Music Advance Streaming Music with Enhancements to Dolby AC-4
Delivering greater fidelity, clarity and detail to Dol...
26/03/2026
Extron and Audio-Technica have announced that their Design Solutions devices, Ce...
26/03/2026
SPORTEL Asia took place March 24-25 at the Orchard Hotel Singapore, drawing 370 participants representing more than 220 companies from 35 countries. Approximate...
26/03/2026
LTN will demonstrate satellite-to-IP migration solutions for broadcasters, cable networks, MVPDs, and station groups at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2100).
The C-Ban...
26/03/2026
The Seattle Mariners have partnered with Daktronics to install an upgraded outfi...
26/03/2026
The Esports Foundation (EF) has awarded National Team Partner status to organizations and individuals across more than 100 countries and territories for the Esp...
26/03/2026
Telestream has announced expanded integration between its Vantage workflow platf...
26/03/2026
FOR-A Corporation has announced a partnership with Nippon TV and NVIDIA to distr...
26/03/2026
CBS Sports and the WNBA have expanded their partnership through a new long-term, multiplatform rights agreement. CBS Sports will feature up to 20 regular-season...
26/03/2026
Zac Brown Band will star in the Sunday Night Baseball show open on NBC and Peacock, NBC Sports announced. The open was filmed at American Family Field, home of ...
26/03/2026
Major League Baseball opens the 2026 season with nationally televised games across multiple media partners. Fans can visit MLB.com/Watch for a complete schedule...
26/03/2026
DIRECTV has announced an agreement to carry nine new MLB-operated team channels, covering the Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers (Detroit SportsNet), Kansas City R...
26/03/2026
Nationals.TV, the Washington Nationals' local broadcast channel, is now avai...
26/03/2026
Starting Thursday, March 26, MLB.TV will be available on the ESPN App, giving fans access to more than 2,000 out-of-market regular season games. Fans can also r...
26/03/2026
Spotify's partnership with NAVER, Korea's leading digital platform, is built around one simple goal: making it easier for listeners in Korea to discover...
26/03/2026
Exclusive to ComposerCloud for first month
Sample library and virtual instrument gurus EastWest have announced the upcoming release of a new virtual drum i...
26/03/2026
Friday 27 March
Friday 27 March will mark Dynamic Range Day 2026, the annual day of online activity that was started in 2010 by mastering engineer Ian Sheph...
26/03/2026
Includes four separate instruments
Max Richter's SRM Sounds venture have just announced their fifth release, ASMR Choir. Captured at the main live room ...
26/03/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), has been tasked with administering the Sixth Presi...
26/03/2026
By Matt Klein
Hello to everyone reading this - whether you're a current YEP, HPA member, or just YEP-curious. I'm Matt Klein, one of the co-chairs of t...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
28 participating companies, from start-ups to blue-chips, lead the UK Group as part of the GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland presence across all the Halls at N...