'I'm made of steel': Limerick traitors star cha cha's onto Dancing with the Stars

LIMERICK man and Traitors Ireland legend Paudie Moloney swapped the cloak-and-dagger intrigue of reality TV for a cha cha cha on the dancefloor as the latest season of Dancing with the Stars premiered on Sunday.

Paudie and dance pro Laura Nolan performed a cha cha cha to the music of A Little Less Conversation by Elvis vs. JXL. They scored 13 points. Paudie was at the bottom of the leaderboard following the judges scores but will dance again next week as no one is eliminated until week two of the competition.

Some of the judges praised Paudie following his first dance on live television with new judge Oti Mabuse saying: “It was cheeky, it was spicy but I think you're a little bit of a dark horse so we're going to really work with you.”

Karen Byrne added that Paudie is right up her alley but Brian Redmond said: “I just wish you'd brought the famous traitor's cloak with you tonight because then I wouldn't have had to watch the hunchy posture, the stiff legs.

READ MORE: Limerick Traitors star set to light up the floor as Dancing with the Stars returns

“You're just lucky that there's not murder on the dancefloor tonight.”

Speaking on Dancing with the Stars on Sunday, Paudie said: “When I went into the Traitors, life just changed completely. It just took off in a different direction.”

“I watched all the seasons of Dancing with the Stars. I would never have thought for one minute I'd be offered an opportunity like this. I'm looking forward to being Paudie the dancer as opposed to Paudie the traitor.”

Paudie explained to dance partner Laura Nolan that he's made of steel. “I have two steel hips. I wouldn't call them new, they're there a while but they're serving me well." At 68, Paudie is the dance show's oldest contestant ever.

The Kilmallock man won over the country last year on The Traitors Ireland with his typical Irish Dad forthrightness that struck a chord with viewers. Since the show, retired prison officer Paudie has become a national treasure, enjoying widespread popularity both in his native Limerick and across the country. He appeared on The Late Late Show alongside his son and fellow The Traitors Ireland contestant Andrew. He was also cast as the Wizard in a Dublin Christmas panto Olly Goes to Oz.

Dancing with the Stars kicked off its ninth season on Sunday, drawing in an average of 550,000 viewers to RTÉ One (inc RTÉ One+1), representing a share of 45% on RTÉ One. There were 29,764 streams on RTÉ Player. 

Dancing with the Stars sees 12 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 Salsa.