Celebrity No. 8: Daniel O'Donnell

The eighth celebrity taking to the floor this autumn is Irish singer, Daniel O'Donnell.

Daniel said: “Earlier this year, I decided to take a short break from touring and told myself that I would only consider doing something if it was both different and exciting, well what could be more exciting than Strictly Come Dancing? I love to dance and boy am I looking forward to getting started and being the best that I can be!”
Daniel is a huge star in his native Ireland, and to a lesser extent in the UK. He has sold over 10 million albums worldwide, and is famed for his close relationship with his fans, whom he invites to his mother's house annually for a 'tea party'.

In return, Daniel's fans are obsessively loyal (a bit like Donny Osmond fans if that's any frame of reference), which makes me think he has a good chance of winning, no matter how he fares on the floor. His fans in Ireland will almost certainly find ways to make their votes count over here.

He looks like he could have some moves too. Here's a clip of him dancing - Daniel is the one in the navy trousers, who starts on the far right of the shot.