Ashley Banjo says his brother Jordan Banjo or Perri Kiely will take his place on the Dancing on Ice panel if his wife goes into labour while the show is on air.
The 30-year-old dancer and partner Francesca Abbott are expecting their first child, who is due to be born during the ice skating programme’s run, and the Dancing on Ice judge has made a contingency plan should he have to dash off set during a live broadcast.
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He said: “I’ll have to get Perri or Jordan to come and sit there on stand-by.
“I’m loving Dancing on Ice. It’s a classic isn’t it?”
Ashley is finding the idea of fatherhood “quite surreal”, but is delighted about the prospect after the couple went through a “tough” fertility journey.
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He said: “It’s already quite surreal for me thinking there is a little baby Banjo on the way. A little girl.
“It’s been tough. People assume, I did it myself, they think, ‘If you want a baby, have one.’ It doesn’t happen like that.”
The new Dancing on Ice series kicked off last weekend, and Ashley was taken aback by just how good former Strictly Come Dancing pro dancer James Jordan was on the ice, but admits he has set his bar “extremely high”.
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Speaking on Lorraine, he added: “I’ve never seen a week one like James Jordan. I can’t believe what he did week one.
“Jason gave him an eight. What does that tell you? He’s set his bar extremely high.
“The dance has given him the discipline, like a work ethic. He works so hard, I know he does, so good on him.”
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