Unexpected success for Irish comic

Comic Fred Cooke has made the final four contestants in Ireland’s Dancing With The Stars.

The stand-up and his professional partner Giulia Dotta survived their second dance-off last night to make the semi-finals of the show.

They were pitted against soap opera star Clelia Murphy, whose dance partner Vitali Kozmin said afterwards: ‘It was kind of a surprise for me that the judges picked Fred. I thought we did way better.’

During the show Cooke admitted: ‘I don't think people would have thought I'd get this far.’

The pair danced a samba to Micky Joe Harte's 2003 Eurovision track We got the World Tonight, and judge Julian Benson told the comedian: ‘You had the whole audience in your hands tonight. You came out and danced the best you could.’

Those previously voted off the RTE version of Strictly Come Dancing include Mrs Brown’s Boys actress Elish O’Carroll (the sister of the sitcom’s creator Brendan); Young Offenders star Demi Isaac Oviawe and Gaelic footballer Denis Bastick.

Also still remaining are TV presenter Mairead Ronan, actor Johnny Ward and country music singer Cliona Hagan.

Published: 11 Mar 2019