GET YOUR SKATES ON!
THE CELEBRITY ICE DANCING COMPETITION IS BACK – AND PHIL AND HOLLY ARE THRILLED…
January just hasn’t quite felt right for the past four years, without the thrill of watching celebrities attempt a headbanger for the first time – so it’s great to confirm the return of Dancing On Ice to our screens this week. Contestants include Corrie stars Antony Cotton (Sean) and Brooke Vincent (Sophie) and Hollyoaks’ Stephanie Waring (Cindy) – and Inside TV caught up with the hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby to find out if they are as excited as we are…
How much convincing did you need to return?
Holly None, really! There had been rumours out there that it was coming back. Phil I think maybe a couple of years ago it was mentioned that it was being discussed, and would we be interested, and then it went quiet for a bit, then it got more serious – then suddenly it was the phone call!
What changes will there be for this series?
Holly Well, we’ve got a brandnew set in a brand-new studio, which is all really exciting – we can create basically anything we want in there. And Jayne [Torvill] and Chris [Dean] aren’t the coaches any more, they’re going to be the judges, which is great because it means they can have more of an opinion on things. Before they had to keep the peace! And Ashley Banjo is a new addition to the judging team, and he’s wonderful.
Why do you think stars want to do the show?
Holly I have no idea! I mean, I get that it is a beautiful skill to learn, ice dancing is just lovely, but it is also quite dangerous! I reckon that the headbanger probably looks worse than I think it is when you’re doing it…
Phil People have banged their heads, though!
Holly They have. I’m not the right person to ask about this.
Phil It is dangerous, there’s no question – we’ve had cuts, we’ve had breaks, and we’ve had some nasty falls…
Holly I’m going to watch most of it with my eyes shut!
Have you heard any whispers about which celebs are good yet?
Holly It’s still early, so they are finding their feet. Kem [Cetinay, Love Island winner] is fearless, but I don’t know how talented he is yet! Brooke was saying before she started that she wasn’t very fit, but months before it was even announced she was making sure she was really strong, so she’s taking it seriously. And Antony is sharing a rink with one of the other celebs and is already saying, “I’m better than them” – but I’m not saying who it is!