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Daniel call for votes in first Strictly public vote

Daniel O'Donnell with his dance partner Kristina Rihanoff will dance the Charleston on the show
Daniel O'Donnell with his dance partner Kristina Rihanoff will dance the Charleston on the show Daniel O'Donnell with his dance partner Kristina Rihanoff will dance the Charleston on the show

DANIEL O'Donnell has called for fans' support as he faces the first Strictly Come Dancing public vote - but viewers in the Republic will be unable to back him.

The Donegal singer will tonight perform 1920s dance the Charleston with partner Kristina Rihanoff.

Along with the other 14 nervous contestants, he faces the possibility of going home as the first couple will be voted off the show tomorrow night.

The 53-year-old from Kincasslagh has been appealing for fans to vote for him as he takes to the dance floor for the second time.

In a message posted on his Facebook page, he said: "Make your vote count, vote for Daniel and Kristina to keep them in the competition."

But viewers in the Republic, where the singer has a massive fan base, will be unable to take part in tonight's BBC vote.

While Strictly fans in Britain and Northern Ireland can support their favourite by telephone, viewers south of the border are not eligible because they don't pay the licence fee.

However, it appears that this won't stop some of O'Donnell's die-hard fans - there have been reports that some are prepared to cross the border just to cast their vote.

All 15 couples will dance tonight and will be scored by the four judges, which will be combined with their scores from last week.

This will be combined with the viewers' vote and the two couples with the lowest result will face the first dance-off.

The judges will then decide who will leave the competition.

Support for the king of Irish country music has been flooding in, with his Facebook page inundated with messages.

Tanya McGill said: "Good luck Daniel. If I could vote here in Ireland u would get all my votes."

Barry Maples said: "If you can dance half as good as you sing you will be on a real winner."

Among the other celebrities vying for the Strictly glitterball trophy this year are pop star Peter Andre, chef Ainsley Harriott, former Coronation Street actress Georgia May Foote and TV presenter Kirsty Gallacher.

Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that O'Donnell will return to television screens next week as the master of ceremonies for Opry an Iúir.

The show, which returns to TG4 next Wednesday, sees the singer interview a country music star each week, who will play their greatest hits.

Among the stars to feature during the series will be Charlie Landsborough, Dominic Kirwan, Louise Morrissey and Johnny Brady.

O'Donnell will also perform some of his best known hits in Irish.

He said: "I really enjoyed presenting Opry an Iúir again this year.

"The guests were all fantastic. I got to sing a few songs in Irish - a first for me.

"It's so good to have a show like this to showcase some of our great country stars."

Strictly Come Dancing will on BBC One tonight at 6.20pm.