Another Tipperary connection leaves Dancing with the Stars after dramatic semi-final

The latest episode of Dancing with the Stars saw another contestant with a Tipperary connection leave the competition as the show edged closer to its grand finale.

Jordan Dargan became the last celebrity eliminated before the final, after a dramatic semi-final themed “Dancing Through the Decades.”

Dargan and his professional partner Rebecca Scott impressed the judges across two performances but ultimately lost out in the dance-off.

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The pair first took to the floor with a Cha Cha Cha to “Dreamer” by Livin’ Joy, earning 38 points from the judges.

They later returned with a lively Charleston to “Help!” by The Beatles, scoring 39 points. Their combined total of 77 points placed them at the third-highest total of the night.

Despite this, Dargan found himself in the dance-off against singer-songwriter Tolü Makay.

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After both couples performed again, the judges chose to save Makay, bringing Dargan’s journey in the ballroom to an end just one week short of the final.

Speaking after his elimination, Dargan said "We were so close and I wanted it so badly - I've had the time of my life - thank you to everyone." To his pro partner Rebecca he said, "You've helped me grow as a dancer and a person."

Dargan spent many summers on holidays in Clonmel. Jerry Dargan, who lives in Fethard, is his grandfather, and his grandmother was the late Barbara Dargan.

His departure means the remaining celebrities will now battle it out for the Glitterball Trophy in the grand finale on Sunday, March 15 on RTÉ One.

Dargan’s elimination follows the departure last week of Olympic rower and doctor Philip Doyle, who also has Tipperary connections, who had also been competing in the series.

Doyle won a bronze Olympic rowing medal with Clonmel’s Dara Lynch in Paris last year.

He also hails from Banbridge in county Down but his great-grandfather was Bill Hyland from Clonmel, a renowned local athlete and cyclist in the 1930s and 1940s, who won All-Ireland titles in the hammer throw.

Doyle and his professional partner Daniela Roze were voted off the show on March 1 after landing in the dance-off against Makay.

During his final performance, the Olympian delivered a Jive to Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now,” which earned 31 points from the judges.

However, the judges opted to save Makay once again, bringing Doyle’s time on the show to a close just before the semi-finals.

With both Doyle and Dargan now eliminated, two contestants with Tipperary connections have exited the competition in consecutive weeks as the popular RTÉ series heads into its final night.