The new series kicks off in January

Stylist Darren Kennedy, TV presenter Mairead Ronan, and comedian / actor Eilish O'Carroll are the first stars announced for RTE's 'Dancing With The Stars'.

The new season kicks off on RTE One from Sunday, January 6th and runs for twelve weeks with eleven contestants battling it out on the dancefloor for the Glitterball trophy.

Speaking to RTE after her announcement, Mairead Ronan said that she has "never done anything glamorous on TV."

"I’m always out in fields and mucky places with wellies and runners, so now to be in heels and sparkly dresses is both brilliant and brutal. The only dancing I do is around the kitchen with my baby, so this is going to be a whole new experience for me!"

As always, the contestants are paired with professional dancers with a different style and genre set every week for the duos to work out and dance to, with scoring coming from both the judges and the viewing public.

On top of that, the preview show 'Can't Stop Dancing' returns with Blaithnaid Treacy hosting on Fridays, whilst Jennifer Zamparelli and Nicky Byrne return to host on Sundays.