Ireland’s Fittest Family will make its return to RTÉ One on Sunday, October 29th.

Now in its 11th season, veteran coach and co-creator of the hit television show, Davy Fitzgerald, is teasing the most competitive season so far.

The added competition for Davy’s crown as the reigning champion coach is the addition of former World Champion and Olympic silver medallist Sonia O’Sullivan to the roster. 

O’Sullivan, who won 16 major athletics championship medals, including World and European 5,000m gold, European 10,000m gold, two World Cross Country gold and a 5,000m silver at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, will coach alongside Davy Fitzgerald, Nina Carberry and Donncha O’Callaghan this season. She is joined in making her debut on the show by new host, RTE 2FM presenter, Laura Fox.

“It’s great to be back with such an amazing lineup of coaches and with our longstanding partner Londis,” said Davy Fitzgerald.

He spoke to Sport for Business this morning for a bonus podcast we will be releasing in advance of the shows return. In it he talks about the show, what it means and brings us behind the scenes on some of the filming routines.

“This year has proven to be one of the most exciting ever seasons as our families gave everything they had to compete for the title of Ireland’s Fittest Family. Having Sonia as part of the coaching panel certainly upped all our games when it came to the competitive edge.”

“For more than a decade, Ireland’s Fittest Family has had families right across the country enthralled on a Sunday evening,” added Londis Sales Director Conor Hayes. The retailer is backing the show for a fifth successive season. Whether you’re cheering on a family from your local community, or simply watching in awe at the competitive nature of the contestants, it’s box-office TV.”

“The show is a great fit for our values at Londis, with its focus on family and communities nationwide, as well as the platform it provides us to promote a healthy and active lifestyle.  We couldn’t be happier to renew our sponsorship for a 5th year, and can’t wait to sit down with the rest of the country in front of the TV on a Sunday night when the new series returns.”

Londis won the Best TV Broadcast Sponsorship at the Irish Sponsorship Awards in 2022 and 2023.