Corrie's Sally Dynevor, rugby star Ben Foden and Happy Monday's Bez confirmed for Dancing on Ice
Stars from the North West will be grabbing their skates and lycra this winter as the 'greatest show on ice' returns to our screens.
Rugby star Ben Foden, Coronation Street actress Sally Dynevor and Happy Monday's Bez have all been confirmed as contestants for Dancing on Ice 2022.
The ITV show, hosted by Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, is set to make a chilly return in the new year and a number of celebs are already hitting the rinks for training.
Twelve celebrities will skate live each week with their professional partners as they try to impress both the panel and the viewers.
Sally, who plays Sally Webster in the long-running soap Coronation Street, told Lorraine: "Oh my gosh, Lorraine. This morning I was really nervous… now everyone knows I’m doing it, I can’t get out of it."
She went on to say: “This is a massive challenge, Lorraine. It really, really is.
"I’m not getting any younger, I’ve just got to take every opportunity I get so that when I’m old I can say you know what? I gave it a go.”
Ben Foden, who was born in Chester and currently plays for Rugby United New York in Major League Rugby, will be swapping his boots for skates this winter.
A fullback or scrum-half, he won 34 caps for England between 2009 and 2013.
On taking to the ice, sportsman Ben Foden said he likes the idea of learning a new skill. He said : "I used to skate a little when I was a kid.
"I’d go to ice discos when I was 15, 16, and you’d always see these kids that could do pirouettes that had a proper dancing background.
"I’m quite competitive as well so I like the challenge of competing against others doing something that I’m not necessarily good at!"
Bez, from Bolton, broke the news to This Morning hosts and Dancing On Ice presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield.
He said: “At the moment it’s more like Bambi on Ice, not Dancing On Ice.
"How I got picked I don’t know because I was absolutely awful at the audition but they must have seen some potential in me.
“I’m looking forward to learning a new skill and I can’t wait for the Christmas ice rinks again so I can get on there and really show off.”
They will join Love Island star Liberty Poole and S Club 7 singer Rachel Stevens on the ice. The full-line up is yet to be confirmed.
On Monday, ITV revealed that actor John Barrowman will no longer feature as a judge on Dancing On Ice.
A spokeswoman for ITV said: “We thank John Barrowman for two brilliant years on the Dancing On Ice panel and are pleased to be working with him again as host of the forthcoming All Star Musicals specials.”
Dancing on Ice returns to ITV in 2022.
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