Northern Irish Olympic Gold medalist Rhys McClenaghan is swapping the pommel horse for the dance floor as he joins the cast of RTÉ's Dancing with the Stars.

The Newtownards gymnast was one of five new celebrities announced to join the cast for the hit dance competition on Friday night's Late Late Show hosted by Patrick Kielty.

Rhys and the other stars spoke to Patrick about competing for the coveted glitterball trophy when the new series returns to screens in the new year.

Read more: Rhys McClenaghan gives an insight into his preparations at the Olympics final

Speaking about his decision to join the show, Rhys said he was excited to try his hand at a new skill after an exception year for the young athele.

Rhys commented: "I'm thrilled to take on this new challenge and look forward to bringing some gymnastics skills to the dance floor. I am approaching my training for the 2025 competition year differently.

"I took some time to travel, and as I begin my first training block for the LA Games, I will also have some fun figuring out how to dance!

"Hopefully, with the guidance of my pro dance partner, I can bring some of my pommel horse flair to the dance floor, too!”

Stars revealed to compete against Rhys so far include Elaine Crowley, Kevin Dundon, Kayleigh Trappe, Yasmin Seky, Mickey Joe Harte, Jack Woolley, Gearóid Farrelly, Danny O’Carroll and Aishah Akorede.

On adding Rhys to the line-up, RTÉ said: "Can pommel horse champion Rhys McClenaghan bag another glittering grand slam this year?

"Rhys is a gymnast and gold medal Olympian from Co. Down. Widely recognised as one of the best pommel horse specialists of his generation, Rhys made history when he became the first ever gymnast to win an Olympic gold medal in this sport for Ireland at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

"He has celebrated many successes prior to this; he was the first Irish gymnast to compete in a European final and win a European medal, and also to win a world bronze medal in 2019.

"He then took home a gold medal on the pommel horse at the 2019 European Championships and another gold at the 2023 World Championships. Rhys is also a Commonwealth Games champion on the pommel horse. He was named RTÉ's Sportsperson of the Year in 2023."

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