Dancers with Tipperary connections will take to the floor in Dancing with the Stars

The fortunes of two contestants in the ninth season of Dancing with the Stars will be closely followed in south Tipperary when the series returns to RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Sunday, January 4.

Philip Doyle won a bronze Olympic rowing medal with Clonmel’s Dara Lynch in Paris last year.

Philip hails from Banbridge in county Down but his great-grandfather was Bill Hyland from Clonmel, a renowned local athlete and cyclist in the 1930s and 1940s, who won All-Ireland titles in the hammer throw.

A medical doctor, Philip will be going for gold with his professional dance partner Daniela Roze, a five-time All-Ireland Latin dance champion from Maynooth. She has also represented Ireland in many international competitions, winning a plethora of titles.

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This is her second season on the show, having been paired with singer Mickey Joe Harte last year.

Jordan Dargan, meanwhile, spent many summers on holidays in Clonmel. Jerry Dargan, who lives in Fethard, is his grandfather, and his grandmother was the late Barbara Dargan. His uncle, Tommy Purcell, works at Coolmore. The rest of the Dargan family locally are based in Clonmel, having originally hailed from Baron Park.

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After finishing in third place on The Apprentice UK earlier this year, Jordan Dargan is now turning his ambition towards winning the coveted glitterball.

Jordan has a successful business in Dublin as founder of Rendify Studios, a 3D animation company, and brings a wealth of ambition and focus to everything he does – which will come in handy on the dancefloor as he joins Dancing with the Stars.

Jordan made history as the first black/mixed-race Irish-Nigerian contestant on The Apprentice UK. He used his platform to inspire other young creatives to pursue their ambitions in tech and design.

Above: Philip Doyle and Daniela Roze

He has spoken publicly about some online abuse he experienced during the show, and how he learned to rise above the negativity, focusing instead on the positives and the opportunity to be a role model for others. Will his dedication and drive in the business world translate to the dance floor?

Jordan said: “I’m honoured to be joining the Dancing with the Stars family. I’ve got zero dance experience and am genuinely starting from square one, so if I can do it, anyone can!

“It’s going to be a huge challenge for sure, but with an amazing pro partner and massive support from my family and friends, I’m ready to give it my all.

“When I was first approached to take part, I thought, ‘Absolutely not!’ However, I believe true growth always sits on the other side of doing the things that terrify you.

“So I decided to lean into that, take the leap into the unknown and hopefully will make everyone proud”.
Jordan is teaming up with professional dancer Rebecca Scott, who is back for her second season on Dancing with the Stars.

Rebecca has travelled all over the world to represent England, winning numerous awards and titles. She reached the quarter-final last year with partner Kevin Dundon.

Dancing with the Stars is hosted by Jennifer Zamparelli and Laura Fox.

Each of the 12 pairings will have a different dancing genre to master every week, from the Charleston to Salsa, 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: Oti Mabuse, Brian Redmond, Arthur Gourounlian and Karen Byrne, as well as the viewing public at home, with the winning couple claiming the much-coveted glitter ball trophy at the end of the series.

The other personalities taking part are Eurovision winner and singer Niamh Kavanagh, Nationwide presenter Anne Cassin, singer-songwriter Brian Kennedy, Paudie Moloney from The Traitors Ireland, reigning Rose of Tralee Katelyn Cummins, comedian and actor Michael Fry, Fair City actress Stephanie Kelly, television presenter Eric Roberts, musician Tolü Makay and podcaster Amber Wilson.