Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Kyle O'Sullivan

Dancing on Ice star Regan Gascoigne's 'unfair' dance background amid 'fix' claims

Regan Gascoigne is impressing us on the ice every week - but some claim he has an 'unfair advantage.

Gazza's son topped the leaderboard once again last week, to the dismay of some viewers who suggested that Regan has an advantage over the other contestants because he has a dancing background.

Rather than following his dad into football, Regan asked for a pair of ballet shoes instead of football boots when he was a youngster and has been dancing ever since.

"We used to do sport and play football, but I used to just pirouette down the white line on the pitch," Regan told The Mirror in November 2019.

"Ever since I could walk I was always spinning around dancing, putting on little shows for friends and family. I don’t think I let Dad down because I chose a different career path.

"Dad tells me what he had to do to become successful, so I can apply the same to my career. He managed to make his dreams come true, so I can see when you’re dedicated to something you can achieve your goals."

(Matt Frost/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Get the news you want straight to your inbox. Sign up for a Mirror newsletter here .

Regan certainly inherited his dad's fancy footwork as he enrolled into the Hammond Ballet School and then went on to study musical theatre at Tring Park School for Performing Arts.

He has sung in Trafalgar Square for March 4 Women and danced with Qdos Entertainment in pantomimes for the last four years.

Despite his dancing background, Regen has insisted he has no advantage when it comes to performing on the ice.

Speaking to The Mirror about his skating ability, Regan said: "It's very different from dancing. It's so different. To be dancing on the floor, you have friction and you have stability.

"This is just - you don't. You're holding your core in a totally different way to how you would be dancing. Lifting people is totally different, it is a completely different skill. The ice is a completely different element."

It's not just Regan whose dance background has been questioned, as former Strictly Come Dancing star Brendan Cole and Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt also have an impressive CV.

Regan with his dad and sister (Internet Unknown)

Regan added: "What I would have during dancing, like I said the friction of the ground, is completely taken away.

"So I find there are parts of my body I'm using differently. When you do backward crossovers, you're using muscles that you don't usually use.

Despite claims Regan has an unfair advantage, two of the ice panel have rushed to his defence.

Judges Ashley Banjo and Christopher Dean were quick to hit out at the idea that his dance background would put him way above the competition.

They suggested that he had no skills in actual ice skating, so being a dancer wouldn't automatically help him do well in the rink.

Regan Gascoigne and Karina Manta have been topping the leaderboard (ITV)

During one of the earlier weeks, host Phillip Schofield brought up the fact some viewers will believe the contestant has an advantage to others, due to being a trained dancer like fellow contestant Brendan Cole.

Phil said: "Chris, there will be people, they said it last week with Brendan, who say that these guys are dancers, it's got to be an advantage."

Chris disagreed with this by saying: "You have got to learn to skate first of all, and that's the biggest hurdle everybody has to get over. It seems like Regan has managed to learn to skate."

Fellow judge Ashley added: "At this point we have seen lots of dancers on the ice, we have seen a lot of people who can skate well, but I don't know if I've ever seen anybody who can translate movement into ice skating quite like you.

"We thought we'd seen the best week one ever, and I think you just upped the bar for him."

*Dancing on Ice airs tonight on ITV at 6pm

Do you have a story to share? Email webfeatures@trinitymirror.com

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.