Professional dancer Brendan Cole will be hoping his fancy footwork from the dance floor translates to the ice rink this weekend, as he competes in the first episode of Dancing On Ice.
Cole is among the new batch of celebrities who will make their debut on the ITV skating competition, which returns with hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on Sunday.
Six of the competition’s 12 couples will perform in week one, including Happy Mondays dancer Bez, who is partnered with reigning skating champion Angela Egan, and Coronation Street star Sally Dynevor who is partnered with Matt Evers.
Also performing live will be Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt and professional Mark Hanretty, Olympian Kye Whyte with new professional Tippy Packard, and TV presenter Ria Hebden with skater Lukasz Rozycki.
Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Cole, who will perform with partner with Vanessa Bauer on Sunday, is hoping to follow in the footsteps of ex-Strictly dancer and Dancing On Ice 2019 champion James Jordan.
The 45-year-old has said previously: “None of this ‘I don’t mind if I don’t win’, we all want to do well, you don’t take part in something like this if you don’t want to do well.
“Everyone is going to be trying their utmost to get to the next week, to the next week, to the next week, and if anybody says they’re not they’re lying through their teeth.”
Other celebrities taking part in the series include rugby star Ben Foden, pop star Rachel Stevens, Love Island’s Liberty Poole, Paralympian Stef Reid, dancer Regan Gascoigne and The Vamps’ Connor Ball.
The expert judging panel includes former Olympic ice dancing champions Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, alongside Diversity choreographer Ashley Banjo and professional dancer Oti Mabuse, who is the newest addition.
Mabuse, who has been on Strictly Come Dancing since 2015, has not confirmed if she will be leaving the BBC’s flagship show.
But speaking ahead of Dancing On Ice, the 31-year-old, who has won Strictly twice, said: “Do you know what, we’ll have to wait and see. For me I am just really excited to be here on Dancing On Ice and doing what I love.
“You know how I am, I work by the rules, there will be an announcement made.”
She has replaced actor and entertainer John Barrowman on the skating panel, who said his exit was prompted by him taking on another role on All Star Musicals, another ITV series.
Dancing On Ice launches on January 16 at 6.30pm.
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