Clash of our dancing divas
Glenda and Yewande are the f irst DWTS celebrities to be revealed – but it will be a Sunday night battle against Maura and Kevin on Dancing On Ice
TV presenter Glenda Gilson and Love Island star Yewande Biala will appear on the next season of Dancing With The Stars, the Irish Mail on Sunday can reveal. The glitzy RTÉ show is set to return on January 5 next – and the shiny floor will see the leggy ladies compete for the title of Dancing Queen.
However, it has emerged it will be aired at the same time as ITV’s
Dancing On Ice, which will mean Glenda and Yewanda will be dancing for their lives to win over viewers from fellow Irish celebrities, Maura Higgins and Kevin Kilbane.
Speaking about her decision to rumble and rock on the dancefloor, 38-year-old Glenda said that while she has no dance experience she will be striving to shine. ‘I’m absolutely delighted to be part of Dancing With The Stars,’ she says. ‘I’ve always been a big fan of the show but now that I’m here and I’m in costume, I’m ready to rock.
‘I’m a little scared to be honest. I’m not a dancer – this is totally out of my comfort zone.
‘But I can’t wait to learn how to dance, so hopefully I do that during the Christmas period and I won’t make a show of myself when I get on the live shows in January.’
While RTÉ is keeping tightlipped on the rest of the stars who have signed up for the gruelling show –which airs weekly over 12 Sundays on RTÉ One at 6.30pm – 23-year-old Dublin scientist Yewande Biala is a certainty.
‘Yewande is filming in December for an Irish television show. She isn’t saying what it is but everyone knows it’s Dancing With The Stars,’ says a source.
Another source says: ‘Yewande did well on Love Island but obviously she didn’t have the same exposure as Maura or some of the other girls.
‘She is keen to boost her profile’
‘She is keen to boost her profile and with DWTS the biggest Irish TV show, she has decided to give it a go.’
In a reality twist of fate Yewande will once again face her fellow Love Islander Maura in the popularity stakes.
While she’s strutting her stuff on the dancefloor in a bid to win the glitterball, Maura Higgins will be skating for success on ITV’s Dancing On Ice, forcing viewers to choose between their favourite Love Islanders.
The Longford native will be joined by former Ireland footballer Kevin Kilbane, 42, who will be hoping to score a perfect 10 with the judges.
Since leaving the villa 29-yearold Maura has capitalised on her popularity and signed lucrative deals with brands such as online boutique Boohoo, even releasing her own clothing line, and landing a stint as agony aunt on ITV’s This Morning programme.
Although she is a novice skater, Maura is already proving impressive on the ice.
Sharing a video of her training on her instagram stories, the ice queen transformed to ice starlet as she pulled off some daring moves with ease.