The Chase star Anne Hegerty reveals she SNUBBED Dancing on Ice despite secret audition for ITV show

Dancing on Ice bosses suffered a setback in their search for The Chase's Anne Hegerty.

Anne, aka The Governess, said she auditioned for the upcoming series but pulled out so she could prioritize her role in Aladdin – the Chesterfield pantomime she is currently performing in.

To talk with The mirrorAnne, 65, explains: 'I tried Dancing on Ice because I have a strong desire to master skating.

'However, scheduling conflicts arose with the pantomime, and the appeal of being on stage, interacting with an audience, acting, singing and adding humour… that experience was of great value to me.

'Then I would have ended up being dragged around by a penguin and never really got to skate. That would have been quite discouraging.”

Anne Hegerty has revealed she has been forced to turn down her appearance in the upcoming series of Dancing on Ice despite having an audition

The show returns in January, with Stephen Mulhern taking the place of long-standing presenter Philip Schofield

The show returns in January, with Stephen Mulhern taking the place of long-standing presenter Philip Schofield

This Christmas, the former I'm A Celeb star will enjoy the festive day in her favorite company – herself.

Looking back on her tradition, the singleton said that she has consciously done so for the past forty years.

She added that she enjoys the freedom of being able to “eat whatever I want” and take control of the TV, while also avoiding any social interaction.

The quirky quizmaster went on to say that while some men may see her as lonely, women are 'jealous' of her loneliness.

It comes after Anne revealed how she and her quiz show co-stars have a WhatsApp group where they talk candidly about producers.

The TV star said the group chat serves as a support system during tough times with the Chasers – made up of Anne, Mark Labbett, Jenny Ryan, Paul Sinha, Shaun Wallace and Darragh Ennis – regularly losing on the show.

Anna said The Express how the five Chasers are very close and like to socialize in a certain restaurant because 'people don't eavesdrop'.

She said: 'We have WhatsApp. We have a WhatsApp group where the producers are in and another where the producers are not, so we can talk about them.

Anne was unable to commit due to her role in the Chesterfield pantomime of Aladdin, in which she is currently starring

Anne was unable to commit due to her role in the Chesterfield pantomime of Aladdin, in which she is currently starring

Anne previously revealed how she and her quiz show co-stars have a WhatsApp group where they talk candidly about producers

Anne previously revealed how she and her quiz show co-stars have a WhatsApp group where they talk candidly about producers

The Chasers, made up of Mark Labbett, Anne, Paul Sinha, Shaun Wallace (all pictured) plus Jenny Ryan and Darragh Ennis, also head to a particular restaurant so they aren't overheard

The Chasers, made up of Mark Labbett, Anne, Paul Sinha, Shaun Wallace (all pictured) plus Jenny Ryan and Darragh Ennis, also head to a particular restaurant so they aren't overheard

'If someone is having a hard time, if someone [a chaser] was losing a lot, we would be very reassured because it could be any of us.'

The TV personality is best known for her intelligence on the show and also made her debut on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.

She has previously opened up about how she deals with autism and last year revealed it was a tool in finding love.

In her spin-off series The Chasers Road Trip, the presenter revealed that the longest relationship she had was four months and ended it because she was 'not good' at giving him the right amount of attention.

She went on to joke that she's “basically a Cyborg” after learning she has an emotional intelligence level of just 1%.