Taekwondo titan announced as fourth celebrity taking part in RTE's Dancing With The Stars
'Luckily, I have a nice start because I've got the athleticism, but I can't just take that for granted,' he teased.
Taekwondo Olympian Jack Woolley is swapping the mat for the dance floor as the sports star is the fourth celebrity to join the cast of RTE's Dancing with the Stars.
Jack is the first ever athlete to have represented Ireland in taekwondo at the Olympic Games.
He made his debut with Team Ireland at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and most recently, he competed at the Paris 2024 Olympics earlier this year.
READ MORE: Jack Woolley: "Not every young guy from Tallaght can say he's a two time Olympian"
READ MORE: RTE Dancing with the Star's Aishah Akorede nervous for live show as she suffers from panic attacks
Alongside his Olympic achievements, Jack was awarded silver medals at the European Championships in 2022 and the European Games in 2023, along with bronze medals at the Taekwondo Grand Prix in 2018 and 2022.
Speaking about the line-up for the RTE One show, he said: “I'm excited. This is something completely new for me. I think taekwondo is going to help because I'm flexible and I know my body, but remembering the steps is completely different.
“With taekwondo, I'm standing in front of somebody who's moving and I’m responding to what they're doing. I'm fighting them, and it's so unpredictable.
“But with this, you've got the set steps that you have to do in time. That's going to be completely new to me.
“Luckily, I have a nice start because I've got the athleticism, but I can't just take that for granted!”
On what he feels most nervous about, he joked: “I was most nervous about getting a spray tan, to be honest! I was afraid it was going be a bit splotchy and I'd look ridiculous.
“But the first one worked out well, so who knows? I might be a bit of a diva after this, getting a spray tan and my hair and makeup done every week after the show! I’m just embracing it at the moment.”
In August 2021, just five days after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics ended, Jack was hospitalised after being attacked in Dublin.
He experienced an outpouring of support when he shared a post and some photos detailing the incident on social media and subsequently spoke openly about the attack on The Late Late Show.
Jack has also given an incredibly honest account of the mental health challenges he has battled with while competing at a high level.
Jack is the fourth celebrity to be announced following yesterday’s reveal of comedian Gearóid Farrelly, Mrs. Brown’s Boys actor Danny O’Carroll was announced on Tuesday and former Miss Universe Ireland, Aishah Akorede was revealed on Monday.
Dancing with the Stars will be hosted by Jennifer Zamparelli and Doireann Garrihy again this season. The two-time Dancing with the Stars winner and professional dancer Karen Byrne will join the judging panel in 2025 alongside longstanding judges Loraine Barry, Brian Redmond and Arthur Gourounlian.
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