IRELAND AM HOST Eric Roberts has been revealed as the sixth contestant on the newest season of Dancing with the Stars, which will begin next month.

Paudie Moloney from The Traitors Ireland and former Eurovision winner Niamh Kavanagh are some of the contestants already announced for the upcoming season, while the next three celebrity dancers will be revealed on The Late Late Show tonight.

Roberts, from Donegal, is a well known social media personality, particularly on TikTok and Instagram, where he has over one million followers.

Earlier this year, he published a children’s book Gary the Stinky Goose, which was inspired by his work as a special needs assistant, and by his nephew Oisín who has cerebral palsy and autism.

The TikTok star said he is both excited and terrified to appear on the show.

“I’m so excited to get stuck into training and equally terrified at what lies ahead! I’ve been a fan of the show for years and some of my friends have taken part and told me how amazing the experience is and also how difficult it can be!” he said.

“So, I’m trying to mentally prepare myself for it all. I’ve had a couple of fittings and let’s just say it’s stuff I wouldn’t normally wear, but I’m leaving it up to the professionals and stylist every week – I’m up for anything (within reason)!”

Roberts said his family were extremely excited by the news.

“It’s a huge time commitment and I have a young son so it wasn’t something we jumped into. My wife is extremely supportive and told me to go for it! I’m excited to learn all the dances. I grew up loving hip hop and robotics,” he said.

“I taught myself how to do hip hop in my bedroom after watching Step Up – just in case anyone challenged me to a dance battle – and I loved it so much. I haven’t broken out those moves now in a while so it might be time to bring them back.”

Twelve well-known figures will pair up with professional dancers for the competition, which is hosted by Jennifer Zamparelli and Laura Fox.

Each celebrity couple will be scored by an expert panel of four judges: Oti Mabuse, Brian Redmond, Arthur Gourounlian and Karen Byrne, and as well as the public.

The first episode of Dancing with the Stars will air on Sunday 4 January.