Two Dancing With The Stars pros miss quarterfinal show due to Covid-19

Stephen Vincent, who is partnered with Paralympian Ellen Keane, and Salome Chachua, who is paired with Rugby Sevens star Jordon Conroy, will both miss the quarterfinals tonight.

Ellen, singer Erica Cody, jockey Nina Carberry, cyclist Nicolas Roche, and Love Island star Matthew MacNabb have all made it through to tonight’s quarter final.

Ervinas Merfeldas, who was originally paired up with Missy Keating, will step in for Stephen, while Emily Barker, who previously danced with Aengus MacGrianna, will replace Salome, on the RTÉ show this week.

Earlier this week, singer Erica Cody confirmed her dance partner partner Denys Samson would be returning to the show after taking a week off while he recovered from Covid-19.

“It’s really nice to have him back in the studio. I feel like dancing away is nearly a form of escapism for him to get away from it all,” she said of his return.

“I’m so happy to have him back. I missed him so much last week. He’s back and he’s feeling much better, health-wise, which is great.”

She admitted that she was really worried for Denys, who is originally from Ukraine, while he was isolating because “all he had was his phone and the news.”

“His family and friends are still in Ukraine. It’s hard to fathom what he’s going through emotionally being away from home with everything that’s going on. It’s been having an impact on him over the last couple of weeks, as you can probably imagine,” the Dubliner explained.

“[When] he had Covid, I was worried about him being at home all the time and being open to seeing everything that was happening and unfolding back home.

“He was at home and he wasn’t able to go out anywhere. He didn’t have dance. He had to stay at home. All he had was his phone and the news.

“I’m just trying to keep the spirits high by giving him as much love and support as I can as his partner,” she added.