Karen Byrne | |
|---|---|
| Born | 30 May 1992 |
| Occupation(s) | Dancer Choreographer |
| Known for | Dancing with the Stars (Irish series) |
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) |
| Partner | Jake Carter (2018–present) |
Karen Byrne (born 30 May 1992) is an Irish dancer and choreographer. She is known as being a judge and, previously, a professional dancer on the Irish version of Dancing with the Stars.
Byrne was born in Ballyfermot in Dublin. [1] She has been dancing since the age of six. [2]
In 2017, Byrne was announced as one of the professional dancers for the first series of Dancing with the Stars. She was partnered with RTÉ broadcaster, Des Cahill. [3] Despite being in the bottom half of the leader board throughout the entire competition, they reached the quarterfinals of the competition eventually finishing in 5th place. [4]
In 2018, Byrne was partnered with singer-songwriter, Jake Carter. [5] On 25 March 2018, Carter and Byrne were named the winners. [6]
In 2019, Byrne was partnered with TV presenter and style entrepreneur, Darren Kennedy. [7] They reached the fifth week of the competition, finishing in ninth place. [8]
In 2020, Byrne partnered with Olympic gold medal-winning boxer, Michael Carruth. [9] The couple reached the fifth week of the competition, meaning Byrne finished in ninth place for the second year in a row. [10]
In 2022, Byrne partnered former professional cyclist, Nicolas Roche. [11] They were eliminated in the quarterfinals, after a dance-off against Ellen Keane and Ervinas Merfeldas. [12]
In 2023, Byrne partnered former rugby player, Shane Byrne. [13] They were eliminated in the eighth week of the competition, after a dance-off against Panti Bliss and Denys Samson.
In 2024, Byrne partnered former Paralympic sprint runner, Jason Smyth. On 17 March 2024, Smyth & Byrne were named the winners, despite receiving the lowest scores for several weeks and in the Final.
| Series | Partner | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Cahill | 5th |
| 2 | Jake Carter | 1st |
| 3 | Darren Kennedy | 9th |
| 4 | Michael Carruth | 9th |
| 5 | Nicolas Roche | 6th |
| 6 | Shane Byrne | 7th |
| 7 | Jason Smyth | 1st |
Highest and Lowest Scoring Per Dance
| Dance | Partner | Highest | Partner | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Smooth | Jake Carter | 25 | Michael Carruth | 12 |
| Cha-cha-cha | Jake Carter | 24 | Des Cahill Shane Byrne | 12 |
| Charleston | Jake Carter | 30 | Bernard O'Shea 1 | 13 |
| Contemporary Ballroom | Jake Carter | 30 | Jason Smyth | 24 |
| Foxtrot | Nicolas Roche | 21 | Des Cahill | 16 |
| Jive | Jake Carter | 28 | Nicolas Roche | 11 |
| Paso Doble | Des Cahill | 18 | Michael Carruth | 14 |
| Quickstep | Jake Carter | 21 | Shane Byrne | 17 |
| Rumba | Jake Carter | 26 | Jason Smyth | 18 |
| Salsa | Shane Byrne | 21 | Des Cahill | 14 |
| Samba | Jason Smyth | 28 | Michael Carruth | 11 |
| Showdance | Jake Carter Jason Smyth | 30 | ||
| Tango | Jason Smyth | 27 | Michael Carruth | 13 |
| Viennese Waltz | Jake Carter | 28 | Nicolas Roche | 16 |
| Waltz | Jason Smyth | 21 | Nicolas Roche | 17 |
1 These scores was awarded during Switch-Up Week.
| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redmond | Barry | Benson | ||||
| 1 | Foxtrot / "Moondance" | 5 | 5 | 6 | 16 | No elimination |
| 2 | No dance performed | - | - | - | - | |
| 3 | Paso Doble / "Malagueña" | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 | Safe |
| 4 | Salsa / "Soul Bossa Nova" | 4 | 5 | 5 | 14 | Safe |
| 5 | Tango / "Jealousy" | 5 | 7 | 6 | 18 | Safe |
| 6 | Cha-cha-cha / "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 | Safe |
| 7 | Samba / "Mas que Nada" | 5 | 5 | 5 | 15 | No elimination Switch-Up Week with Aidan O'Mahony |
| 8 | Viennese Waltz / "The Marino Waltz" | 6 | 7 | 6 | 19 | Safe |
| 9 | American Smooth / "Uptown Girl" | 5 | 6 | 6 | 17 | Safe |
| 10 | Jive / "Do You Love Me" The Ballroom Blitz / "The Ballroom Blitz" | 6 Extra | 6 1 | 7 Point | 19 20 | Eliminated |
| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redmond | Barry | Benson | ||||
| 1 | Salsa / "Reggaetón Lento (Remix)" | 6 | 6 | 7 | 19 | No elimination |
| 2 | No dance performed | - | - | - | - | |
| 3 | Quickstep / "Knee Deep in My Heart" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 | Safe |
| 4 | Cha-cha-cha / "The Power of Love" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 24 | Safe |
| 5 | Contemporary Ballroom / "Sign of the Times" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 27 | Safe |
| 6 | Charleston / "Lollipop" | 3 | 5 | 5 | 13 | No elimination Switch-Up Week with Bernard O'Shea |
| 7 | Tango / "La cumparsita" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 26 | Safe |
| 8 | Viennese Waltz / "You'll Never Walk Alone" | 9 | 9 | 10 | 28 | Safe |
| 9 | Jive / "Rock Around the Clock (Swing Cats Remix)" Team Dance / "On the Floor" | 9 10 | 9 10 | 9 10 | 27 30 | Safe |
| 10 | Charleston / "Friend Like Me" Swing-a-thon / "You Can't Stop the Beat" | 10 Extra | 10 5 | 10 Points | 30 35 | Safe |
| 11 | Rumba / "Slow Hands" American Smooth / "Let's Face the Music and Dance" | 9 8 | 8 8 | 9 9 | 26 25 | Bottom two |
| 12 | Contemporary Ballroom / "Sign of the Times" Jive / "Rock Around the Clock (Swing Cats Remix)" Showdance / "Mad World" | 10 9 10 | 10 9 10 | 10 10 10 | 30 28 30 | Winners |
| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redmond | Barry | Benson | ||||
| 1 | Tango / "Sharp Dressed Man" | 5 | 5 | 6 | 16 | No elimination |
| 2 | No dance performed | - | - | - | - | |
| 3 | Jive / "Fun, Fun, Fun" | 4 | 5 | 5 | 14 | Safe |
| 4 | Charleston / "I Wanna Be Like You" | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 | Safe |
| 5 | Salsa / "María" | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 | Eliminated |
| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redmond | Barry | Benson | ||||
| 1 | American Smooth / "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" | 3 | 4 | 5 | 12 | No elimination |
| 2 | No dance performed | - | - | - | - | |
| 3 | Samba / "It's Not Unusual" | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 | Safe |
| 4 | Paso Doble / "Eye of the Tiger" | 4 | 5 | 5 | 14 | Safe |
| 5 | Tango / "Gold" | 4 | 4 | 5 | 13 | Eliminated |
| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redmond | Barry | Gourounlian | ||||
| 1 | Jive / "Blinding Lights" | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 | No elimination |
| 2 | No dance performed | - | - | - | - | |
| 3 | Viennese Waltz / "Unplayed Piano" | 5 | 5 | 6 | 16 | Safe |
| 4 | American Smooth / "Singin' in the Rain" | 6 | 6 | 7 | 19 | Safe |
| 5 | Samba / "Fantasy" | 5 | 5 | 5 | 15 | Safe |
| 6 | Quickstep / "Hey Brother" | 6 | 6 | 7 | 19 | No elimination |
| 7 | Waltz / "Love Ain't Here Anymore" | 5 | 6 | 6 | 17 | Safe |
| 8 | Tango / No dance performed | - | - | - | - | Given bye |
| 9 | Tango / "Trumpet Tango" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 | Safe |
| 10 | Foxtrot / "I Love Paris" Team Dance / "Cuba" | 7 9 | 7 9 | 7 9 | 21 27 | Eliminated |
| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redmond | Barry | Gourounlian | ||||
| 1 | Quickstep / "Help!" | 6 | 5 | 6 | 17 | No elimination |
| 2 | Cha-cha-cha / "Hey Baby" | 3 | 4 | 5 | 12 | |
| 3 | Paso Doble / "Born to Be Wild" | 5 | 5 | 5 | 15 | Safe |
| 4 | Tango / "Wreck-It, Wreck-It Ralph" | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 | Safe |
| 5 | Salsa / "Cuban Pete" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 | Safe |
| 6 | Viennese Waltz / "We Are the Champions" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 23 | No elimination |
| 7 | Jive / "Land Of 1,000 Dances" | 6 | 7 | 7 | 20 | Safe |
| 8 | American Smooth / "Luck Be a Lady Tonight" | 7 | 7 | 8 | 22 | Eliminated |
| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redmond | Barry | Gourounlian | ||||
| 1 | Foxtrot / "They Can't Take That Away from Me" | 5 | 6 | 6 | 17 | No elimination |
| 21 | Paso Doble / "Run to You" | 5 | 6 | 6 | 17 | |
| 3 | Contemporary Ballroom / "Show Me What I'm Looking For" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 24 | Safe |
| 4 | Rumba / "With These Hands" | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 | Safe |
| 5 | Salsa / "Don't Stop Dancing" | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 | Safe |
| 6 | Viennese Waltz / "Daughters" | 6 | 7 | 7 | 20 | No elimination |
| 7 | Samba / "Rhythm Divine" | 8 | 8 | 7 | 23 | Safe |
| 8 | Waltz / "Watermark" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 | Safe |
| 9 | Jive / "Runaway" Team Dance / "A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got)" | 7 9 | 8 10 | 8 10 | 23 29 | Safe |
| 10 | Tango / "Disturbia" Scare-a-thon / "Dead Ringer for Love" | 9 Awarded | 9 2 | 9 Points | 27 29 | Safe |
| 11 | Samba / "Rhythm Divine" Showdance / "Go the Distance" | 9 10 | 10 10 | 9 10 | 28 30 | Winners |
1Byrne did not perform in week 2 due to illness. Smyth performed his dance with Juliia Vasylenko instead.
Byrne was in a relationship with professional dancer, Wojtek Potaszkin for eight years. [14] Since their time on the show together, Byrne has been dating her Series 2 partner, Jake Carter. [15] The couple announced their engagement on 9 March 2025.