Loraine Barry

Loraine Barry was born in Cabra, Dublin, in 1964 and began dance classes at age six. She credited teachers Maureen and Liam Mullins with recognizing her ability early on. At seventeen she left Ireland for Southport, England, then moved closer to London's ballroom training network. Though Irish in identity, her international competition record would be entered for England.

Barry formed her defining amateur partnership with Andrew Sinkinson as a young adult. The World DanceSport Federation records Andrew Sinkinson and Loraine Barry as World Standard champions in 1988 and 1989. Their 1989 Blackpool amateur success led them to turn professional, and they won the slow foxtrot in their first Professional British Open appearance in 1990. The partnership ended in 1993.

After 1993, Barry danced with Italian-born Luca Baricchi. The British Dance Council's historical records place Baricchi and Loraine Barry among major British professional winners in 1994–95 and again in 1998–99. The partnership won the professional world ballroom title in 1999 and 2001, with British Open wins documented in 1999, 2000 and 2001. They retired from competition after regaining the world title in 2001.

Barry's post-competition work centred on teaching, coaching and adjudication. Her coaching biography describes an international teaching schedule and a United States studio run with her sister Michelle. In interviews, she emphasizes commitment, constructive criticism and the willingness to push dancers beyond their comfort zone—principles that connect her championship experience to pedagogy.

RTÉ announced Barry as one of the original judges of Ireland's *Dancing with the Stars* in December 2016, and she became the panel's head judge. Across eight seasons she translated specialist ballroom judgment for a general television audience, balancing technical correction with encouragement. On 25 September 2025, RTÉ announced that she would leave the programme after those eight seasons.

Barry has continued professional activity beyond television. A 2026 international festival lists her among its adjudicators, positioning her as an active teacher and judge. Her career spans childhood training in Dublin, championship partnerships representing England, and a later public role that brought ballroom vocabulary and evaluation into Irish popular culture.