Dancing on Ice 2024: First contestant confirmed as iconic reality star
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Reality TV legend Ferne McCann has been confirmed as the first celebrity contestant on Dancing On Ice 2024.
Revealing the news on Monday’s episode of GMB, the mum-of-two said: ‘I’m so excited, it’s going to be a huge challenge but I’m excited about the glitz and glamor of the show.’
Ferne shot to fame in 2013 when she joined the cast of The Only Way Is Essex for its ninth series.
She has since appeared on Celebs Go Dating and I’m A Celebrity, the latter finishing in third place.
Most recently she starred in her own ITV show, My Family And Me, but earlier this month she confirmed that the next series of her long-running reality series will be her last.
Reality TV legend Ferne McCann has been confirmed as the first celebrity contestant on Dancing On Ice 2024
Ferne shot to fame in 2013 when she joined the cast of The Only Way Is Essex (pictured, left, with Billie Faiers, Bobby Norris and Gemma Collins in 2014)
The show, which started as Ferne McCann: First Time Mum and initially followed her pregnancy and raising her first-born Sunday, has run for 13 series and 7 years.
The show was retitled in 2023 when Ferne welcomed her second daughter Finty.
But now she is ready to pull the plug after making the ‘tough decision’ with businessman fiance Lorri Haines and six-year-old daughter Sunday, her child with ex-partner Arthur Collins.
She told me The Sunday mirror: ‘The point where everything changed was when Sunday actually said to me, ‘Am I famous?’ Some of her friends had seen her in an advertisement.
“And I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t know…’ It made me uncomfortable because I don’t want her to feel like she’s different…
“After that it felt like a completely different game, so I left and figured out what I was feeling, and it felt like the right time to stop.”
She added that although Sunday had been on the show since she was born, she had “never really” watched it and was “unaware” of the situation — until that question.
Hours before Ferne’s announcement, it was claimed that an iconic EastEnders star had also signed up for Dancing On Ice.
Earlier this month, Ferne confirmed that the next series of her long-running reality series, My Family & Me, will be her last (pictured in the show with fiancé Lorri Haines and daughters Sunday, six, and Finty, 14 months)
Charlie Brooks – known for her villainous role in EastEnders and winning I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2012 – rumored to be joining the star-studded line-up for the upcoming installment.
The actress, 43, is well remembered for her epic portrayal of villain Janine Butcher in the hit BBC soap from 1999 to 2022.
She finally said goodbye to Albert Square two years ago during the EastEnders Christmas Day special.
And now it looks like the soap favorite will be joining other celebrities to take on the icy challenge for the much-loved skating show.
A source said The sun: ‘Charlie is a brilliant asset. She has a huge EastEnders fanbase and has loads of personality and feisty energy. ITV bookers hope she can recreate some of her I’m a Celeb magic on screen.
‘They’re taking full advantage of the fact that many female stars have avoided Strictly this year amid all the scandal. It will be a belted lineup.”
Charlie Brooks – known for her role as Janine Butcher in EastEnders – is rumored to be taking part in the upcoming series of Dancing On Ice
The actress is well remembered for her epic portrayal of villain Janine in the hit BBC soap from 1999 to 2022.
Holly Willoughby is expected to return to her long-running presenting role on the show when it launches in January