Rugby star to dedicate dance to late Munster Rugby legend on hit TV show

THIS week’s Dancing with the Stars on RTÉ television is set to be a tear-jerker, with the theme of dedication as the premise for Sunday's episode. 

Ahead of the weekend, Rugby star Shane Byrne has announced his dance will be in memory of late Munster Rugby star and coach  Anthony ‘Axel’ Foley, who passed away suddenly in 2016, aged 43.

Shane, who has entertained audiences on Dancing with the Stars for the last five weeks, will be taking a different approach with his upcoming performance in honour of his friend and former teammate, Anthony Foley.

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Dancing the Viennese Waltz with partner Karen Byrne to the Queen classic, We Are Champions, the dance is set to be an emotional tribute to Limerick native, Axel, who died suddenly in France in 2016. 

Sunday evening will see all eight couples, Shane and Karen being one, take to the floor to perform a routine in tribute to people who have had a major impact on their lives.

Sunday night will also be a family affair, as television presenter and entrepreneur Suzanne Jackson and her professional partner Michael Danilczuk dedicate their Cha-cha-cha to Suzanne’s parents who celebrate their fortieth wedding anniversary this year.

They will dance to Irene Cara’s Flashdance… What a Feeling – one of the biggest hits of 1983. Meanwhile, singer Brooke Scullion and her partner Robert Rowiński will honour her mother, Tracy, with a Viennese Waltz to Kelly Clarkson’s Breakaway.
 
RTÉ 2FM Breakfast host Carl Mullan and Emily Barker will dedicate their Jive to Coldplay’s Higher Power to Carl’s son, Daibhí, while comedian Kevin McGahern and Laura Nolan will be dancing their Paso Doble to Nirvana’s Smells like Teen Spirit in honour of Kevin’s daughter, Wallis.

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Singer and actor Damian McGinty will reflect on his time on the popular American TV show Glee as he and his partner Kylee Vincent dedicate their Contemporary Ballroom to the friends he made on the show. They will dance to Becky Hill’s version of Forever Young.
 
Footballer Stephanie Roche and Ervinas Merfeldas will also dance Contemporary Ballroom, to the Rachel Platten hit Fight Song. Their dance is in honour of Stephanie’s teammates on the Republic of Ireland Women’s team, with a focus on a point in their career in 2017 when she and twelve of her fellow players threatened to strike.
 
With it being such a special night in the ballroom, no one will be eliminated from the show on Sunday night. However, the competition is still on, as the couple to receive the highest combined points from the judges’ score and public vote will earn immunity from the following week’s first Dance-Off of the season.

Dancing with the Stars is on Sunday at 6.30pm on RTÉ One.