Karen Byrne

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.

Early life Byrne was born in Ballyfermot in Dublin. She has been dancing since the age of six.

Dancing with the Stars 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. 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.

In 2018, Byrne was partnered with singer-songwriter, Jake Carter. On 25 March 2018, Carter and Byrne were named the winners.

In 2019, Byrne was partnered with TV presenter and style entrepreneur, Darren Kennedy. They reached the fifth week of the competition, finishing in ninth place.

In 2020, Byrne partnered with Olympic gold medal-winning boxer, Michael Carruth. The couple reached the fifth week of the competition, meaning Byrne finished in ninth place for the second year in a row.

In 2022, Byrne partnered former professional cyclist, Nicolas Roche. They were eliminated in the quarterfinals, after a dance-off against Ellen Keane and Ervinas Merfeldas.

In 2023, Byrne partnered former rugby player, Shane Byrne. 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.

Highest and Lowest Scoring Per Dance

1 These scores was awarded during Switch-Up Week.

Series 1

Celebrity partner Des Cahill; Average: 16.7; Place: 5th

Series 2

Celebrity partner Jake Carter; Average: 26.3; Place: 1st

Series 3

Celebrity partner Darren Kennedy; Average: 16.5; Place: 9th

Series 4

Celebrity partner Michael Carruth; Average: 12.5; Place: 9th

Series 5

Celebrity partner Nicolas Roche; Average: 17.4; Place: 6th

Series 6

Celebrity partner Shane Byrne; Average: 18.5; Place: 7th

Series 7

Celebrity partner Jason Smyth; Average: 22.2; Place: 1st

1Byrne did not perform in week 2 due to illness. Smyth performed his dance with Juliia Vasylenko instead.

Personal life Byrne was in a relationship with professional dancer, Wojtek Potaszkin for eight years. Since their time on the show together, Byrne has been dating her Series 2 partner, Jake Carter. The couple announced their engagement on 9 March 2025.