Eric Roberts does Donegal proud, narrowly beaten in Dancing with the Stars final

After a nail-biting Grand Finale, Rose of Tralee Katelyn Cummins has been announced as the winner of Dancing with the Stars 2026.

Eric Roberts from Glen, who presents Ireland AM, and his partner Arianna Favarro put in a top-class showing on the night, only to be pipped at the post.

The four finalists each danced two routines on the night, including an epic ‘Showdance’ routine combining different dance styles. The judges offered their scores as guidance, but it was the public vote that decided the fate of the winner. Having received the most public votes, Katelyn takes home the coveted Glitterball Trophy alongside pro partner Leonardo Lini.

Katelyn said: ‘Life is not real, every day it surprises me. What a year. Two massive wins in one year. I would have never imagined that this would be my life.’

The Grand Finale opened with a group dance to ‘Absolutely Everybody’ by Vanessa Amorosi, featuring the finalists, pro-dancers and judges.

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Towards the end of the show, after the four finalists performed, all eliminated contestants from this season of Dancing with the Stars returned to the dancefloor for a massive group dance to ‘Stay (If You Wanna Dance)’ by Myles Smith.

Eric and his partner Arianna danced their Fright Night Charleston to ‘Happy’ by C2C featuring Derek Martin. Their Showdance was ‘Can’t Hold Us’ by Macklemore x Ryan Lewis. They scored 40 for each dance, 80 in all.

Singer-songwriter Tolü Makay and her partner Maciej Zieba danced their routine from Week 2, an American Smooth to Olivia Dean’s smash hit ‘Man I Need’. Their Showdance was to the ‘Kill the Lights’ by Alex Newell, Jess Glynne, DJ Cassidy and Nile Rodgers. They picked up 40 and 37, for a total of 77.

The Traitors Ireland star Paudie Moloney and his pro partner Laura Nolan performed their Country Week Quickstep to ‘Stop the World and Let Me Off’ by Declan Nerney. Their Showdance was to the Andy Williams’ classic ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’. They managed to score 57, 28 for dance one and 29 for the second.

Rose of Tralee Katelyn Cummins reprised her Movie Week role of Snow White, as she and pro partner Leonardo Lini danced an American Smooth to ‘Whistle While You Work’ by Rachel Zegler. Their Showdance was to ‘Ordinary’ by Alex Warren. They also got 40 and 40, 80 in all.