Graham Bell and Colin Jackson CBE have become the seventh and eighth celebrities confirmed for Dancing On Ice.
Graham, a former Olympic skier, and athlete Colin will be taking part in the ITV skating competition when it returns to screens in 2021.
The sportsmen confirmed the news this morning (Saturday, September 26) on BBC Breakfast, when they revealed they would be joining stars Myleene Klass, Joe-Warren Plant, Denise Van Outen, Faye Brookes, Jason Donovan and Sonny Jay in the line-up.
What did Graham Bell and Colin Jackson say about their DOI news?
Graham, a five-time Olympian, told hosts John Kay and Sally Nugent: “Ice doesn’t scare me, it’s the dancing. Whereas I know you can dance, Colin.”
He went on to joke that his dancing experience only went as far as “dancing on tables, wearing ski boots in après ski. It’s not graceful and elegant!”
Read more: Dancing On Ice: Sonny Jay confirmed as sixth contestant
Graham also said that Colin could be competitive.
He said on the programme: “Colin’s probably called up Katrina Witt and flown her over from Germany and hired her as a private coach!”
Colin, meanwhile, said: “The first thing for us all is to get used to our boots. I don’t know if you’ve tried ice skating boots but they are pretty tight so we’ve got to get our feet in there and start getting used to balancing on them.
We won’t get onto the ice fully until the middle of October… we’ll see how the choreography goes.
“We won’t get onto the ice fully until the middle of October.”
He continued: “I can do a little bit of skating. I think with sport in itself you’ve certainly got a bit of balance and that will be transferable in this circumstance. How much dancing we’ll do, who knows?! We’ll see how the choreography goes.”
Speaking further, Colin said that for him, the main thing would be to at least try his hardest on DOI.
Read more: Dancing On Ice: Jason Donovan confirmed as fifth contestant on This Morning
“I’m going to try and that’s the most important thing,” he said. “You go out there, you enjoy yourself and you learn a new skill and to hone the skill of skating will just be a huge, huge plus. I’m looking forward to it.”
Jason Donovan and Denise Van Outen their ‘biggest competition
Sally Nugent asked who they thought could be the strongest competition for them in the 2021 series. Graham said: “Jason Donovan is obviously a big performer.”
For Colin, it was Celebrity Gogglebox favourite Denise Van Outen who stood out.
“Denise Van Outen can dance,” he said, adding: “She’s obviously been in musicals.”
When Dancing On Ice returns in the new year, Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby will reprise their roles as hosts. Torvill and Dean, John Barrowman and Ashley Banjo will again comprise the judging panel.
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