The first four celebrity contestants for this year's Dancing with the Stars, which will begin on RT One in January, have been unveiled and will be exclusively interviewed on Friday night's Late Late Show. Ryan Tubridy will chat with PANTI BLISS (RORY O'NEILL), BROOKE SCULLION, PAUL BROGAN and SUZANNE JACKSON, who will be among the 11 celebrity contestants who will take to the floor for the hit series this January.
PANTI BLISS (RORY O'NEILL)
Rory O'Neill aka Panti Bliss is Ireland's best known drag artist. The Mayo native has been performing as Panti since 1998. In 2007 Rory opened Panti Bar on Capel Street in Dublin which has become one of Ireland's most well-known gay bars. In 2015 Panti became a household name in Ireland as she spoke out and campaigned for equality in the marriage referendum. Many cite Panti's now infamous Noble Call' on The Abbey Stage as a moment that sparked debate and altered opinions. Following the marriage referendum Panti became an icon for change in Ireland and has even been spoken of as an establishment figure. In 2019 Rory married his partner Anderson Cabrera.
Panti says: It's happening! I cannot wait to take to the dance floor with my partner - and it'll help me get back into shape after the lockdowns! I feel really privileged to be part of the first same-sex couple competing on Dancing with the Stars from the very start of a series. It's a really exciting time!
BROOKE SCULLION
From Bellaghy in Co. Derry, Brooke represented Ireland at Eurovision in 2022 with That's Rich'. She co-wrote the song and travelled to Turin in Italy for the competition but was unlucky not to qualify. Brooke first came to public attention in 2020 on The Voice UK. All four coaches turned for Brooke and she made it all the way to the final. In September 2020 Brooke wrote and released her debut single Attention' and followed on with her EP, Chaotic Heart. Brooke is allergic to animal hair but is a cat mom' and has a hairless Sphynx cat, Draco.
Brooke says: I'm so excited to be joining the Dancing with the Stars family and to be part of an iconic Irish series! What girl doesn't want to get on her dancing shoes every Sunday night?! It's a dream come true bring on the sequins!
PAUL BROGAN
Paul Brogan is an All-Ireland winning former Dublin GAA footballer. He is part of the Brogan GAA dynasty as the younger brother of legendary Dublin players Bernard and former senior football captain Alan. Paul was on Dublin's winning team for the 2008 O'Byrne Cup and was part of the Dublin panel that won three Leinster titles and the 2011 All-Ireland senior football championship. He left the Dublin senior football panel in October 2012. 36-year-old Paul is a larger-than-life character who admits despite not having much dance experience, he is well up for giving it a go and the worst thing that could happen is getting a few slags from his brothers and former teammates.
Paul says: I'm so excited to be part of this show. I am a competitive person, but this is way out of my comfort zone and from what training I have done so far, I know it is not going to be easy. It will take a lot of hard work, but it'll also be a lot of fun. Rehearsals have been great so far and I'm looking forward to the live shows. It will be a great experience and a new test. This will just be a different game in a different stadium - Croke Park to RT !
SUZANNE JACKSON
Suzanne began blogging in 2010 under SoSueMe. She wrote about all things fashion and beauty and soon found her audience growing and any product she recommended sold out instantly. By 2013 she left her day job to dedicate her time to her own business. In 2016 Suzanne made another leap and launched her own beauty range SoSu Cosmetics. It has proven to be hugely successful and grown to be worth an estimated 2.12million. In July 2022 Suzanne announced her plans to step down as CEO of the business. She presents RT 's The Style Counsellors, and has just finished filming the fourth series that is due to air in 2023. She lives in Malahide with her husband Dylan O'Connor.
Suzanne says: I've watched DWTS for years and I love the show and everything about it from the dancing, the glam and the costumes to all the incredible people involved. It's such a fantastic production and to be part of it this year is a dream for me. I was an Irish dancer when I was younger, but ballroom is a completely different challenge! The timing is right for me and I'm going to give it my absolute everything with my dance partner.
A further contestant will be confirmed on Saturday 3rd December, embargoed for Sunday 4th December at 6am.
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
23/07/2026
Quickly creates reverse reverb effects
Low End Candy have recently released a new plug-in that offers a quick and simple way to create reverse reverb effect...
23/07/2026
New engines, resonators, effects & more
Expressive E's versatile soft synth has just been treated to an update that greatly expands its sonic range. Noi...
23/07/2026
SGL Carbon has further expanded its photovoltaic capacity at its Ort im Innkreis site in Austria. With the commissioning of new PV carports, the sites solar sys...
23/07/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents new software for three-phase power analysis on MXO seri...
23/07/2026
In our latest blog, Laura Rognoni explores how the launch of Play Snooker reflects a wider shift in sports economics - from monetising peak broadcast audiences ...
23/07/2026
Download Now!
To receive a short case study showcasing Vivid Broadcast's audio setup, please enter the following details:
--
First Name* First Name ...
23/07/2026
X-Rite Pantone and Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) Partner to Advance Digi...
23/07/2026
Thursday 23 July 2026
New Samsung Galaxy Foldable range available now to pre-order on Sky Mobile
Sky Mobile, the award-winning network voted this year by Expe...
23/07/2026
Thursday 23 July 2026
Jason Statham leads Sky Original action thriller MUTINY in explosive new trailerTurn on cookies to view this content. Go to Privacy optio...
23/07/2026
Wuppertal July 23, 2026
Riedel Implements RefCam and Easy5G for the First Time...
23/07/2026
RT Commercial has today announced Centra as the official food partner once again of The Traitors Ireland, coming to RT One and RT Player later this year.
Ce...
23/07/2026
RT Commercial today announced Honda as sponsor of Today with David McCullagh RT Radio 1, weekdays 9am 11am.
Broadcasting directly after Morning Ireland in ...
23/07/2026
RT News is pleased to announce Barry Gallagher has been assigned as the new journalist covering news from Cork, Kerry and the wider Southern region
Working al...
22/07/2026
Library now available in Engine Player
Another of Eduardo Tarilonte's popular sample libraries has just been moved over to Engine Audio's Engine Pla...
22/07/2026
All-in-one mic & DSP interface overhauled
Cloudvocal have just refreshed the design of their all-in-one mic, audio interface and DSP processor, introducing ...
22/07/2026
The final boss of the lost dual-op-amp circuit
Electro-Harmonix have just introduced the Deluxe Big Muff Pi 2, which they say offers their latest take on t...
22/07/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
22/07/2026
A poisoned spy, a secret war, and a small English city contaminated by a deadly chemical weapon. Available on Sky Documentaries from 4 AugustWednesday 22 July 2...
22/07/2026
Audio at Parity: Comscore Launches Transcript-Level Targeting and Measurement wi...
22/07/2026
Arvato Systems and Lobster Enter into a Partnership and Combine the Integration Platform and Managed Services
Flexible integration solutions for cloud, hybrid...
22/07/2026
RT REPORTS NET SURPLUS OF 22.5 MILLION IN 2025...
22/07/2026
In the Opinion of the Censor airs Monday 27 July at 9.35pm on RT One and RT Player
In the Opinion of the Censor looks at how films for theatrical release wer...
21/07/2026
New research involving a cross-section of Mongolias independent media landscape finds enthusiasm for AI as a tool to improve efficiency, sustainability and resi...
21/07/2026
High-end analogue channel strip boasts plug-in recall
Originally revealed as a prototype back at NAMM 2024, the Channex Studio channel strip represented a b...
21/07/2026
Relies on same DSP as plug-in range
Musik Hack's line-up has been influenced heavily by founder Stan Greene's work as a mixing engineer, and their M...
21/07/2026
Official collaboration with boutique builder Dirty Boy Pedals
Warm Audio have just announced the launch of a new guitar pedal range created in collaboration...
21/07/2026
Rohde & Schwarz showcases broad range of EMC test solutions at EMC SIPI 2026 in ...
21/07/2026
X-Rite Pantone and NIFT Partner to Build Color Management Skills for India's...
21/07/2026
Harmonics cOS Virtualized Broadband Platform and Pearl Remote OLTs Enable Flexible PON Migration, While SeaStar Optical Node Powers Cost-Effective Multi-Gigabit...
21/07/2026
160 hours of Irish storytelling for 2026
KIN and The Walsh Sisters return
RT has today unveiled its most ambitious drama slate ever, with a record-breakin...
20/07/2026
Product range now readily available in the UK
Graph Tech Guitar Labs have just announced the launch of a new UK Online Store that makes it quicker and easie...
20/07/2026
Popular headset gains active noise cancellation
The Maxwell headet was Audeze's first foray into the gaming world, and thanks to its Dolby Atmos compati...
20/07/2026
Monday 20 July 2026
Sky brings free global roaming to millions of loyal custome...
20/07/2026
Red Seat Ventures Announces Introduction of Premium Creator and Podcast Communit...
20/07/2026
FIFA World Cup Final sets new RT Player record as the most-streamed single event in the platform's history
Over 1 million viewers watched live on RT 2 as ...
19/07/2026
Channel strip plug-in gets upgraded
Acustica Audio's vintage-inspired channel strip plug-in has just been treated to an update that expands its tonal ra...
18/07/2026
Captures nine sought-after Fender amps
IK Multimedia's latest TONEX expansion captures a selection of nine rare Brown Panel' Fender amps that were ...
18/07/2026
Latest batch ships alongside firmware update
Since being unveiled at Superbooth 2025, Frap Tools' debut polysynth has been met with widespread praise, a...
17/07/2026
Full engine access with reduced soundset
Sonuscore have steadily been introducing a selection of reduced-cost and free versions of their flagship products r...
17/07/2026
Two new special-edition models revealed
Over the past week, Arturia have launched special-edition versions of both their premium MIDI controller and stage p...
17/07/2026
Original founder now back at the helm
In a message posted on his personal social media accounts, Dirk Ulrich has announced that both Plugin Alliance and Bra...
17/07/2026
From intimate acoustic settings to large-scale festival stages, her focus has remained constant: preserving the true natural voice of the violin in every perfor...
17/07/2026
New and returning series, live festival broadcasts, powerful documentaries and major sporting moments headline RT Radio 1's summer schedule
RT Radio 1 is...
17/07/2026
Up For The Match - Live From Croke Park this Saturday at 8pm on RT One and RT ...
17/07/2026
RT Commercial has today announced DiscoverIreland.ie, as sponsor of The Traitor...
The first four celebrity contestants for this year's Dancing with the Stars, which will begin on RT One in January, have been unveiled and will be exclusively interviewed on Friday night's Late Late Show. Ryan Tubridy will chat with PANTI BLISS (RORY O'NEILL), BROOKE SCULLION, PAUL BROGAN and SUZANNE JACKSON, who will be among the 11 celebrity contestants who will take to the floor for the hit series this January.
