Dancing on Ice 2021 couples – Meet the celebrity and professional pairings
TWELVE gutsy celebrities are starring in this year's series of Dancing on Ice as they compete to lift the trophy.
Taking to the ice this year includes a rapper, a former Towie star, an Olympic hurdler, and a Corrie actress. Let’s meet the celebrities and their professional partners.
What are the Dancing on Ice pairings?
Billie Shepherd and Mark Hanretty
Billie Shepherd is a reality TV star, best known for appearing on Towie and The Mummy Diaries.
She is partnered with familiar face Mark Hanretty for the 2021 series.
Mark is a 35-year-old professional skater and ice dancer from Glasgow and has represented the UK professionally.
He has been partnered with the likes of Nadia Sawalha, Rosemary Conley, Donna Air, Saira Khan and Libby Clarke in past series.
Colin Jackson and Klabera Komini
Colin Jackson is a Welsh athlete who specialised in the 110m hurdles.
He won his first medal, a silver, aged 19 in the 1986 Commonwealth Games before clinching another silver at the 1988 Olympics held in Seoul.
Jackson broke the world record the 110m hurdles in 1993 - a record which stood for over a decade.
Dancing is nothing new for Colin as he came second on the 2005 series of Strictly Come Dancing.
He is partnered with debutant Klabera Komini.
She has performed as an ice skater in many roles including with IDI, the company in residence at The Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth in New Hampshire.
She also won Dancing on Ice in Holland.
Jason Donovan and Alexandra Schauman
Jason Donovan, 52, was born June 1, 1968, and is an Australian actor and singer.
He shot to fame in the late 80s when he played hunky Scott Robinson in Neighbours, before leaving in 1988 to start a music career.
He has sold over 3 million records, and his debut album Ten Good Reasons was one of the highest-selling albums of 1989.
Jason is paired with Alex Schauman, a professional skater from Finland.
She first appeared on Dancing On Ice in 2010 and was paired with Dr Hilary Jones.
Joe-Warren Plant and Vanessa Bauer
Joe-Warren Plant is an 18-year-old actor from Blackpool, Lancs.
He has appeared on popular soap Emmerdale since he was eight years old.
He is dancing with Vanessa Putri Bauer, a 24-year-old German dancer, acrobat and ice skater.
She has performed on an ice rink on board one of the biggest luxury cruise ships in the world, HMS Harmony Of The Seas.
Denise Van Outen and Matt Evers
Actress Denise Van Outen is skating with Matt Evers.
The 46-year-old is best known for presenting The Big Breakfast, for playing Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago, both in the West End and on Broadway, and for finishing as runner-up in the tenth series of the BBC One dancing show Strictly Come Dancing.
Denise dislocated her shoulder in training as the star crashed on the ice with partner Matt Evers falling on top
Matt made history last year as he was one half of the show's first same sex pairing with Ian "H" Watkins.
Faye Brookes and Hamish Gaman
The Sun exclusively revealed that Faye Brookes signed up for Dancing on Ice since quitting as Kate Connor after leaving Coronation Street.
Show insiders told The Sun: “Faye will bring the glamour to the ice and DOI bosses are over the moon she’s chosen to put her skates on this year.
“With her top class acting skills she’s sure to impress the judges in the performance stakes.”
She is partnered up with Hamish Gaman.
Hamish, 37, began skating in 1998 and is a member of Guildford IFSC in Surrey.
Alongside his skate partner Caitlin Yankowskas, he became the 2015 Challenge Cup silver medallist and 2015 British National champion.
He joined Dancing On Ice when it returned to ITV in 2018.
In his first season he was paired with athlete Perri Shakes-Drayton and in 2019 he was partnered with singer Saara Aalto.
Sonny Jay and Angela Egan
Sonny Jay Muharrem, known as Sonny Jay, is a 27-year-old singer and radio presenter.
He first entered the limelight when he auditioned on Britain's Got Talent back in 2012 with his band, Loveable Rogues.
The London-based band reached the finals of the talent show and were signed to record label Syco Music.
Sonny is partnered with skating pro Angela Egan for the upcoming series of Dancing on Ice.
Angela is a 34 year old professional ice skater from Scotland and a Disney on Ice star.
Angela has never had a partner before on the show, and while in training with Sonny, she fell on to the ice after a move went wrong.
They were attempting a lift similar to the show's famous headbanger, but they both ended up hitting the ice.
Graham Bell and Yebin Mok
Graham Bell is a former Olympic skier who is a TV presenter, adventurer and journalist.
The athlete has competed in five Winter Olympics having represented Great Britain at the Sarajevo Games in 1984, Calgary 1988, Albertville in 1992, Lillehammer 1994 and Nagano in 1998.
Graham was supposed to dance with Seoul-born skater Yebin Mok but she suffered a nasty injury when Graham's skate stabbed her in the shin.
The injury left her tendons exposed but thankfully didn't cut through nerves, bone, vessels or tendons - only the muscle.
Yebin will need physio to get back on the ice, but it means she'll be out of action for at least the first couple of weeks of the show.
Lady Leshurr and Brendyn Hatfield
Lady Leshurr signed up for Dancing on Ice in September 2020.
The rapper and producer admitted that she was "petrified" but said she's looking forward to taking to the ice.
Leshurr is partnered up with professional skater Brendyn Hatfield.
This is the second time the 34-year-old has appeared on the show, after being paired with news presenter Lucrezia Millarini last year.
Myleene Klass and Łukasz Różycki
Myleene Angela Klass, 42, was born April 6, 1978, and is a British singer, pianist, and model.
She shot to fame on the TV talent show Popstars, with Kym Marsh, in 2001.
They went on to form the pop band Hear'Say but by 2003 the band had split.
After this Myleene independently released two solo classical albums in 2003 and 2007.
Myleene has been partnered up with Łukasz Różycki.
The 41-year-old first appeared on Dancing On Ice in series six in 2011, partnered with Frank Lampard's former fiancee Elen Rivas.
Rebekah Vardy and Andy Buchanan
The Sun revealed that Rebekah Vardy signed up for Dancing on Ice in August.
Becky appeared on I’m A Celebrity three years ago and a source said: “She feels ready to return to the limelight."
She is partnered with Canadian skater Andy Buchanan, of Wabumun, Alberta.
Things got off to an eventful start as Becky accidentally sliced Andy's face open with her skate.
Rufus Hound and Robin Johnstone
Funny man Rufus Hound admitted that he signed up for Dancing on Ice for the money.
Robert James Blair Simpson, 41, has worked extensively in TV, radio and the theatre.
In 2000 he left his job as an account executive for Claire’s Accessories and became a full-time stand up comedian.
When he was at the Edinburgh Festival he first used the stage name Rufus Hound.
Professional skater Robin Johnstone hails from Canada.
Born in Steinbach, Manitoba, Robin has been skating since she was just two years old, and decided to go pro when she turned 20.
She is married to fellow skater Andy Buchanan - and has been for 13 years.
The duo were absent from the Sunday, January 24 episode after Rufus tested positive for Covid.
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When is Dancing on Ice on TV?
The first episode of Dancing on Ice aired at 6pm on ITV1 on Sunday, January 24.
If you have missed the episode, you can catch it on the ITV Hub.
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The next episode will be aired at the same time on Sunday, January 31.