Former Irish rugby star Shane Byrne is set to appear on RTÉ’s Dancing with the Stars.
The Wicklow native, who won 41 caps for Ireland between 2001 and 2005, was confirmed for the show on RTÉ 2FM with Jennifer Zamparelli on Monday morning.
Shane says: “I’m really looking forward to hitting the dance floor on Dancing with the Stars in January! It’s not like anything I’ve ever done before – it’s a long way from the rugby pitch – but I’ll give it my all and I know I’ll have a lot of fun along the way.”
Nicknamed ‘the Mullet’ or ‘Munch’ due to his distinctive hair style, Shane has always stood out on a rugby pitch.
He played his club rugby in Blackrock and then made over 100 appearances for Leinster, hitting his centaury in February 2003.
In 2005, Shane was honoured to be selected for British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand. He went on to play in the first and third tests of the series against the All Blacks.
After the Lions trip he departed Irish shores and played for Saracens in England for two years. In 2009, he decided it was time to hang up his boots and try new things off the rugby pitch.
Shane is well known to audiences up and down the country, having taken part in Charity You’re A Star, Celebrity Come Dine with Me Ireland and even appeared in Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Movie. He was also a captain on Know The Score sports quiz on RTÉ.
Shane is married to Caroline and has twin daughters Alex and Kerry.
Last week, Dr. Marie Cassidy, Paul Brogan, Suzanne Jackson, Brooke Scullion and Panti Bliss were confirmed for the line-up of the 2023 series.
It is set to premiere in January, with Jennifer Zamparelli and Doireann Garrihy at the helm.
