Dancing On Ice star reveals she was rushed to medics after falling and fainting on the ice as she opens up on ‘scary’ experience

Dancing On Ice star Chelsee Healey has revealed she was rushed to doctors after a ‘scary fall’ left her fainting on the ice.

The actress, 36, was left unconscious while training with her professional skating partner Andy Buchanan, who had to drag her off the ice.

In an exclusive interview with MailOnline ahead of Sunday’s launch show, Chelsee explained: ‘It’s intense and you’re using body parts I didn’t even know I had, like falling on myself, coccyx.

‘That taught me a lesson because I fell on my coccyx, got up and got all dizzy and passed out. So that was actually very scary.

“Andy picked me up and dragged me off the ice. I was all dizzy, and then I just went. But we got through that.”

And despite the terrifying incident, Chelsee admitted she isn’t afraid to try big lifts like the headbanger.

In the headbanger, or bounce spin, a skater’s ankle is picked up and spun by his partner.

Because of the potential danger, this step is actually banned by the International Skating Union (ISU), which regulates competitive skating.

When performing the move at an ISU event, points are deducted by the judges, but it can be used in exhibition or show skating routines.

Chelsee said, “They don’t scare me, the headbangers. I love the elevator so much. I just really know that I’m in the best hands with him.”

The Hollyoaks star revealed the reason she signed up for the ITV show was to make her daughters Cookie, 11 months, and Coco, seven, proud.

She said: ‘I did it to show my daughters that you can be very scared and feel like you can’t do something, but if you put your mind to it, anything is possible.

“I want them to think that if you put your mind to something, they can do it.”

The series, which is 17 years old, returns to screens on Sunday, January 12 at 6:45 p.m.

Chelsee said she will get support for her daughters at the launch show: “They will come and watch me on Sunday. My oldest is so excited that I wouldn’t be surprised if she tried to run onto the ice or something because that’s how excited she would be.

‘I normally wear a baggy tracksuit and have a mummy bun, so it will be great to be able to dress up like that once a week. It doesn’t happen that often for me now.’

It comes as the show has changed the structure of the show in a huge shake-up intended ‘to avoid upsetting the celebrities’.

ITV bosses are said to have changed the dance-off as the stars will no longer have to skate a new performance if they find themselves in the bottom two, according to The Sun.

Normally, the celebrities not only had to learn a routine for their weekly performance, but also put together a dance, for which they were voted in the bottom two.

Now it is believed the stars will simply have to relearn what they did for the main competition, as duty of care is said to be ‘of paramount importance’ to ITV bosses.

A source told the publication: ‘On Dancing on Ice in the past, all couples had to prepare a special skate-off dance that would be ready in case they were voted into the bottom two.

‘But that meant that in addition to learning their main routine, the couples had to learn all the group dances – and sometimes more – in most cases a dance that was lost.

‘Bosses have reconsidered the plan going forward and couples in the bottom two will now be asked to simply repeat the same dance they performed in the main show.’

MailOnline contacted ITV representatives for a comment.

The news comes after it was revealed that the show has introduced a 24-hour hotline for stars to voice their concerns, following the Strictly Come Dancing bullying scandal.

The ITV show will return to screens in 2025 and sources have now revealed new measures introduced in a bid to prevent bullying or abuse.

According to The Sun, ITV bosses have sent the celebrity line-up a six-page letter telling them they can speak out ‘without fear of abuse’.

In the same vein as the chaperones introduced for Strictly this year, this year’s celebrities will also be assigned a producer to ensure their ‘well-being’.

Dancing On Ice returns Sunday January 12 at 6.30pm, live on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.