Ryan McShane (born 22 January 1985) is a Northern Irish dancer and choreographer. He, alongside his professional partner, Ksenia Zsikhotska, were the 2016 United Kingdom & British Latin Professional Champions and British Show Dance Champions. He is also known as being one of the professional dancers on the Irish version of Dancing with the Stars.
Early life McShane was born in Lurgan, Northern Ireland. He started dancing at the age of seven.
Career In 2015, McShane toured with Strictly Come Dancing professional Brendan Cole's A Night to Remember tour across the UK and Ireland.
In 2016, McShane and partner, Ksenia Zsikhotska, were crowned United Kingdom & British Latin Professional Champions & British Show Dance Champions.
Got to Dance In 2013, McShane took part in the Sky One dance competition show, Got to Dance alongside partner, Ksenia Zsikhotska. They received three gold stars from the judges and advanced to the next round before being eliminated.
Britain's Got Talent In 2014, McShane helped establish the ballroom dance group, Kings & Queens, alongside future Strictly Come Dancing professionals, Katya Jones and Neil Jones as well as his future Dancing with the Stars fellow-professionals, Ksenia Zsikhotska and Kai Widdrington. Kings & Queens reached the semi-finals of the series before being eliminated.
Dancing with the Stars In 2017, McShane was announced as one of the professional dancers for the first series of Dancing with the Stars. He was partnered with actress, Denise McCormack. On 26 March 2017, McCormack and McShane reached the final of the competition, eventually finishing as joint runners-up alongside Aoibhín Garrihy and Vitali Kozmin. Aidan O'Mahony and Valeria Milova were the champions of the series.
In 2018, McShane was partnered with fitness model, and UFC fighter, Conor McGregor's sister, Erin McGregor. The couple survived three dance-offs, the most for any couple in the history of the series, before being eliminated in the semifinal in a dance-off against eventual series winners, Jake Carter and Karen Byrne.
In 2019, McShane was partnered with Mrs. Brown's Boys star Eilish O'Carroll. They were the first couple to be eliminated from the series.
In 2020, McShane was partnered with B*Witched singer Sinéad O'Carroll. They reached the eighth week of the competition before being eliminated in a dance-off against eventual winners, Lottie Ryan and Pasquale La Rocca.
SeriesPartnerPlace1Denise McCormack2nd2Erin McGregor4th3Eilish O'Carroll11th4Sinéad O'Carroll7th
Highest and Lowest Scoring Per Dance
DancePartnerHighestPartnerLowestAmerican Smooth Denise McCormack 25 Sinéad O'Carroll 21Cha-cha-cha Denise McCormack 27 Sinéad O'Carroll 19Charleston Denise McCormack 30 Erin McGregor 22Contemporary Ballroom Denise McCormack 28 Erin McGregor 25Foxtrot Erin McGregor 24 Jive Denise McCormack 22 Mary Kennedy1 14Paso Doble Erin McGregor 28 Sinéad O'Carroll 24Quickstep Sinéad O'Carroll 24 Denise McCormack 22Rumba Denise McCormack 26 Salsa Denise McCormack 30 Erin McGregor 23Samba Denise McCormackErin McGregor 27 Eilish O'Carroll 12Showdance Denise McCormack 30Tango Denise McCormack 30 Eilish O'Carroll 15Viennese Waltz Erin McGregorAnna Geary1 22 Waltz Erin McGregor 29 1 These scores was awarded during Switch-Up Week.
Series 1
Celebrity partner Denise McCormack; Average: 26.9; Place: 2nd
Week No.Dance/SongJudges' scoreTotalResultRedmondBarryBenson1No dance performed – – – –No elimination2Jive / "Shake It Off"7783Tango / "Roxanne"899Safe4Rumba / "I See Fire"89926Safe5Samba / "Cheap Thrills"999Safe6American Smooth / "Anything Goes"89825Safe7Jive / "Tutti Frutti"66618No eliminationSwitch-Up Week with Teresa Mannion8Salsa / "Vivir Mi Vida"99927Bottom two9Quickstep / "Valerie"77822Safe10Charleston / "A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got)"The Ballroom Blitz / "The Ballroom Blitz"10Extra10310PointsSafe11Contemporary Ballroom / "Take Me to Church"Cha-cha-cha / "Fiebre"99109992827Bottom two12Tango / "Roxanne"Salsa / "Vivir Mi Vida"Showdance / "Imagine"101010101010101010Runners-up
Series 2
Celebrity partner Erin McGregor; Average: 24.7; Place: 4th
Week No.Dance/SongJudges' scoreTotalResultRedmondBarryBenson1No dance performed – – – –No elimination2Salsa / "Instruction"7883Viennese Waltz / "You Don't Own Me"77822Safe4Charleston / "Woo-Hoo"77822Safe5Foxtrot / "Feels Like Home"88824Safe6Viennese Waltz / "Say You Love Me"77822No eliminationSwitch-Up Week with Anna Geary7Paso Doble / "Seven Nation Army"991028Bottom two8Cha-cha-cha / "It's Raining Men"88925Safe9Waltz / "Kissing You"Team Dance / "Party Rock Anthem"98108109Bottom two10Tango / "Cell Block Tango"Swing-a-thon / "You Can't Stop the Beat"9Extra939Points2730Bottom two11Samba / "Rain"Contemporary Ballroom / "Alive"98989925Eliminated
Series 3
Celebrity partner Eilish O'Carroll; Average: 13.5; Place: 11th
Week No.Dance/SongJudges' scoreTotalResultRedmondBarryBenson1No dance performed – – – –No elimination 2Tango / "I Can't Tell a Waltz from a Tango"555153Samba / "Eso Beso"345Eliminated
Series 4
Celebrity partner Sinéad O'Carroll; Average: 23.3; Place: 7th
Week No.Dance/SongJudges' scoreTotalResultRedmondBarryBenson1No dance performed – – – –No elimination 2American Smooth / "Bewitched"7773Paso Doble / "El gato montés"88824Safe4Quickstep / "Get Happy"88824Safe5Cha-Cha-Cha / "C'est La Vie"66719Safe6Jive / "Twistin' the Night Away"455No eliminationSwitch-Up Week with Mary Kennedy7Samba / "La Isla Bonita"88824Bottom two8Tango / "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"88824Eliminated
Personal life McShane and professional partner, Ksenia Zsikhotska were in a relationship previously.
Since 2017, McShane has been dating model, Thalia Heffernan. Despite not dancing together, McShane met Heffernan while she was a contestant on the first series of the show. They have two dogs together.
On 30 December 2019, five days before the launch of the fourth season of Dancing with the Stars, McShane was assaulted outside a nightclub in his hometown of Lurgan. He received facial injuries, resulting in him needing stitches.
References