A fresh batch of stars are competing to be crowned champion of Dancing On Ice (Picture: ITV)
Dancing On Ice 2023 hasn’t even started yet, but there has still been plenty of drama behind the scenes.
Hosted by Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, the ITV juggernaut series sees a batch of celebrities perform dizzying routines in an ice skating rink in a bid to be crowned champion.
Judges Christopher Dean, Oti Mabuse, Ashley Banjo and Jayne Torvill deliver their verdict on the performances, with the public ultimately voting for the winner in the finale.
This year’s line-up of stars includes Love Island winner Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, TOWIE star Joey Essex, former Liberty X star Michelle Heaton and comedian Darren Harriott.
In the lead-up to Dancing On Ice’s launch, the celebs have been busy rehearsing with their pro ice skating dancers, but there have been a few mishaps and accidents along the way.
Let’s take a look at all of the Dancing On Ice drama that has happened so far.
Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu struck down by fever
Ekin-Su is being looked after by boyfriend Davide Sancliment (Picture: PA)
Ekin-Su, 28, sparked panic when she told her followers she was ‘very ill’ on Thursday – just three days before Dancing On Ice’s launch.
She wrote: ‘Very Ill. doctors have told me to rest hopefully I can recover very quickly ready for Sunday.’
Fans were quick to rally around Ekin-Su, wishing her a speedy recovery, and crossing their fingers she would be well in time for the first episode.
Fortunately, boyfriend Davide Sancliment was on hand to play nurse, with the Ekin-Su sharing a picture of the Italian stallion looking after her, captioning the post: ‘Someone’s home with the fever…in good hands tho.’
Christopher Dean breaks bone in skating accident
Christopher Dean showed off his bandaged finger (Picture: Instagram)
Even seasoned pros aren’t immune to the odd accident, as Olympic medal winner Christopher, 64, explained.
The judge said he had been trying to perform a particularly complex routine, known as the Iron Lotus, when he ended up breaking a bone.
He shared on Twitter: ‘We were trying the Iron Lotus, but ended up doing a Half Nelson. Or did I just fall over a suitcase in the middle of the night.’
Christopher had previously shared a picture of his bandaged little finger, captioning the post: ‘Yes broken.’
Joey Essex nearly loses a finger
Joey Essex blamed the injury on being a ‘risk taker’ (Picture: Instagram)
The Towie star revealed he got a bit too ambitious and ended up slicing his finger in the early days of rehearsals.
‘So today was my first day training with my professional before I get put with my partner,’ the reality TV star explained in a video posted to his Instagram account.
‘It went well and the first two days I got on the ice and saw what we could do,’ before revealing that his enthusiasm backfired.
He continued: ‘I think being a risk taker is going to be an advantage of mine but I don’t think it was an advantage on day one or two because I’ve ended up with a metal finger,’ he said, holding up his left middle finger to the screen, showing it all wrapped up.
‘I’m lucky I’ve still got my finger to be honest, but I’ve got to deal with this now,’ he added.
Michelle Heaton blaming menopause for whiplash
Michelle Heaton said she had fallen over multiple times in training (Picture: ITV)
The Liberty X star, 43, opened up about her brutal-sounding training on Loose Women, revealing the extent of the injuries she had suffered.
In one day alone, Michelle said she had fallen over four times, which also resulted in whiplash on her neck.
The singer blamed the menopause for her accidents, explaining: ‘I had four falls on Monday. Do you know what it is? It’s forgetting you’re on ice.
‘Like I’m calling it menopausal brain fog.’
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Michelle, who has previously spoken about having an early menopause, added: ‘[It’s] because I just stand there and the falls usually come when I’m standing still and I forget that I’m not in shoes and my feet just go and I’m on my back.’
Dancing On Ice begins on ITV1 on Sunday January 15 at 6.30pm.
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MORE : Dancing On Ice’s Michelle Heaton blames menopause for whiplash injury and multiple falls
The show hasn’t even started yet.
