Dancing with The Stars starts tonight... here's a reminder of this year's contestants

IF you’ve been suffering withdrawal symptoms since Strictly Come Dancing ended, an antidote is about to waltz onto your television screens.

The fifth series of Dancing With The Stars begins on RTÉ1 at 6.30pm on Sunday, January 9, as hosts Jennifer Zamparelli and Nicky Byrne put 12 new celebrity dancers through their paces.

The hopeful dozen will aim to put their best feet forward, as they take to the dance floor with their professional partners in their bid to get to win over the judges and the public, and get to the grand final of the hit show in March.

The series will hopefully provide some welcome glamour and truckloads of sparkles to kick off Sunday evening viewing in the New Year.

The 12 celebrities who have taken on the exciting challenge are:

Journalists and TV presenters Grainne Seoige and Aengus MacGrianna.

Comedian Neil Delamare.

Paralympic swimmer Ellen Keane.

Cyclist Nicolas Roche.

Singer-songwriter Erica Cody.

Model and singer - and Boyzone star Ronan Keating’s eldest daughter - Missy Keating (pictured on the cover of TV Week).

Aslan star Billy McGuinness.

Former National Hunt jockey Nina Carberry.

Best-selling author Cathy Kelly.

Love Island star Matthew McNabb.

Rugby player Jordan Conroy.

Judges Loraine Barry and Brian Redmond will also return to Dancing With The Stars, joined by new judging panel member – dancer and acclaimed choreographer, Arthur Gourounlian.

All three will be ready to give their informed, up-front, and sometimes tough-talking reviews and scores from each of the live performances to the contestants.

The series will get straight down to business, with celebrities and their partners being voted off from week two of the 12-week run of shows. The programmes will also be available live on the RTÉ Player each week, with each show available on-demand for the 2022 season.

Social reporter James Patrice is back for the new season, with his access-all-areas back-stage pass to bring fans all the latest news and updates from the training room and the dance floor on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter.

Among the 12 celebrities, the early favourite with bookies is newsreader Grainne Seoige, but there will be plenty of highs and lows before we get a clear picture of who is the dancer supreme.