Happy Mondays star Bez has swapped his maracas for ice skates in the latest series of Dancing on Ice.
Bez was the second contestant announced for the 2022 show.
He’s dancing with professional skater Angela Egan.
And, so far, he’s proving to be a stand-out viewer favourite – despite his struggles to stay on his feet on the ice!
What’s Bez short for?
Fans of the Happy Mondays will know the star best as Bez.
However, that wasn’t his given name.
He was born Mark Berry. While it’s unclear how the nickname came out, Bez is more than likely a shortened take on his surname.
Which group was Bez in? Can Bez sing?
Bez was in the Happy Mondays.
He’s never sung as part of the band and Wikipedia bills him as a dancer, which should stand him in good stead on Dancing On Ice, right? Hmmmm…
Bez is a percussionist too, famously dancing with the maracas in the band.
He was also in Black Grape with Shaun Ryder.
Are Bez and Shaun Ryder brothers?
They’re not brothers, no.
The pair met though a mutual friend, Bez previously told the Warrington Guardian.
Bez said: “I was always being told I had to meet Shaun and he was being told he had to meet me.
“So when we first actually met at his flat we were a bit wary because we’d been told so much about each other and that we’d get along. It turned out everybody was right.”
So how did Bez end up joining the band?
He said it wasn’t a planned thing and started one night when the Happy Mondays were on TV show The Tube.
Bez was asked to join Shaun on stage for “moral support” after the frontman told him he was “off his nut”.
“I fell for the bait, jumped on stage and grabbed a pair of maracas which was the only thing about and I started shaking these maracas like mad while dancing. I remember laughing myself to sleep that night,” he said.
Bez: How much is he worth?
The star is reportedly worth around £700k.
However, his appearance on Dancing On Ice and associated rise in fame following the show will surely boost the coffers!
Why does Dancing On Ice star Bez wear a helmet?
Bez explained: “I know why they [ITV] want me to wear it. I’ve fallen that many times and hit my head on the ice. It wouldn’t do to be seen on live TV with a splattered head all over the telly.
Read more: Jason Gardiner makes dig at Phillip Schofield after he misses Dancing On Ice
“Nearly every time I get on the ice, my head’s been crashing — in sideway crashes, backwards crashes, forwards crashes. And every time I smack my head on the ice, you know what I mean…
“I think they’re a little bit frightened that I may do myself an injury.”
Indeed, the last thing Bez or ITV would want is another trip to the hospital.
What happened when Bez got COVID?
Bez thought he was going to die when he was admitted to hospital with COVID-19 a week before the pandemic was declared.
Read more: Dancing On Ice star Bez praised as he makes shock confession
He said at the time: “I couldn’t breathe and I couldn’t tell if it was my heart or my lungs,
I got to the hospital and I said: ‘I’ve been having this heart attack for three days,’ and they plugged me into the machines and everything and I had a swollen heart and a virus.
“I really seriously thought I was going to die.”
What else has Dancing on Ice star Bez been on?
It’s not his first foray into reality TV.
BBC viewers threatened to switch off Celebrity MasterChef after he was eliminated back in September 2021.
His appearance on Bargain Hunt also caused a stir when he was booted off for cheating.
Bez and Celebrity Gogglebox pal Shaun Ryder also generated complaints from Channel 4 fans when they discussed drug use on the show.
The star recently stated: “I’ve not actually stopped taking drugs.”
However, he added: “But only if they’re organic will they get into my system now.”
Bez admits ‘falling off the wagon’
Indie wild man Bez admitted that he “fell off the wagon” during lockdown and it acted as a “wake up call” for him to focus on getting fit.
He told Metro in March 2021 he was “shocked and horrified” to discover that clothes he brought before the pandemic no longer fitted him after “piling on the pounds”.
Bez admitted: “I did drink a lot, drank lots of cider, ate lots, and because I wasn’t on the road dancing and doing the things I normally do, I piled the weight on.
“I was shocked and horrified when I came to put clothes on that I’d bought before the lockdown started and I couldn’t get them on. That was the wake up call.”
Bez said that as he’s getting older, he has to work at staying “slim and active” now.
As a result of his fitness drive he said he has got his flexibility back – something that should stand him in good stead for Dancing on Ice.
However, he did admit: “I did give up cakes and sweets and I’ve not been drinking for weeks, but saying that I just ate a packet of shortbread biscuits, so I keep falling off the wagon!”
Is Bez married?
Bez, 54, is engaged to personal trainer Firouzeh Razavi, 34.
It’s not clear when he popped the question, but it appears as if they’ve been together since 2014.
The couple don’t have any children together, but Bez is a father of three.
He has two grown-up sons – Arlo and Jack – from a previous relationship.
Bez also has a son called Leo, 11, with ex-girlfriend Monica Ward.
View this post on Instagram
Asked what Firouzeh thinks of her other half signing up for DOI, Bez admitted: “My fiancée thinks it’s hilarious.
“She thinks I’m really lucky because I get to go and do a TV show where I learn a new skill. She’d love to do it and thinks I’m really lucky.”
Will she think the same after the daredevil hits the ice, though?
Ahead of the first live show, Bez admitted he doesn’t have any fears.
“I love a bit of danger!” he said.
He also said he’s keen to give lifts a try but, thankfully for partner Angela, would “never want to put anyone else at risk”.
Asked how he felt when it came to criticism from the panel, Bez said he “hadn’t actually thought about that yet”.
However, he then addd: “If it’s constructive criticism then that’s fair enough but if they’re just slagging me right off I’ll be a bit disappointed!”
Dancing on Ice is on Sunday (February 13) on ITV at 6pm.
Tell us who you’re backing to win on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.