Christopher Dean had to take a trip to the hospital with just days to go until the new series of Dancing On Ice. The skating legend is due to return to the ITV skating show on Sunday as he takes his seat back on the judging panel alongside ice partner Jayne Torvill.
They'll also be rejoined by Diversity star Ashley Banjo and former Strictly Come Dancing professional Oti Mabuse while Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield will be back rinkside as the show's hosts. But ahead of a press launch on Wednesday (January 11), Chris found himself with an unfortunate injury.
He first shared a picture to his and Jayne's joint Twitter account of his hand with one of his fingers in a bandage. "Yes broken," he typed alongside a grimacing face emoji.
He then shared another snap of his bandaged finger as his reflection could be seen in the mirror. He wrote: "We were trying the Iron Lotus, but ended up doing a Half Nelson [referencing a fictional move in Blades of Glory] or did I just fall over a suitcase in the middle of the night."
And fans were quick to comment. @Ophelia_ButtsUK said: "Hope you heal quickly! Poor you." @doifans2023 replied: "Hope you are okay Chris." @DebsterPA1 wrote: "I hope you’re on the mend soon." @ZoeM154 replied: "Thank goodness it was only your finger." Meanwhile, @Mimie_13 laughed: "I would go with the iron lotus story. Makes it look more heroic."
Eleven brave celebrities are taking to the ice again this year. Among those taking part in Dancing On Ice 2023 are EastEnders actress Patsy Palmer, footballer John Fashanu, Love Island winner Ekin-Su Culculoglu, Olympic gymnast Nile Wilson, and Coronation Street star Mollie Gallagher.
Completing the grand-new line-up are drag queen The Vivienne, TV personality Joey Essex, comedian Darren Harriott, West End star Carley Stenson, singer Michelle Heaton and The Wanted’s Siva Kaneswaran.
Offering some advice to the upcoming stars of the show, Jayne told press: "The same as every year - put the hours in with all the basic training. But also enjoy it! If you enjoy it then you’ll want to do more and you’ll want to work harder. It’s about having fun at the same time as working hard."
Chris added: "It’s the enjoyment factor. I don’t want to make it sound like a job but everyone takes it on very personally - it’s their Olympics in a sense! You get into this bubble and everybody is trying to do the best they can and they want to survive each week and get to the final. We always used to say that when we leave the ice we want to feel like we’ve achieved something."
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