Dancing on Ice: Meet the celebrities set to skate next series

Reality TV icon and ‘The Traitors’ star among the celebrities confirmed to take part in series 17

Dancing on Ice is due back on screens in a matter of months, with 12 new celebrity contestants being unveiled throughout the day.

Season 17 of ITV’s ice skating competition will return to screens in 2025. An exact date is yet to be confirmed, but it is expected to air in January as has been the case for previous seasons, with contestants starting training as early as next week.

It is understood that Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern will host the forthcoming series together for a second time.

Deal or No Deal star Mulhern replaced Phillip Schofield last year when he quit the network after admitting an “unwise but not illegal affair” with a younger male colleague.

On Monday (30 September), ITV announced the cast for the new season with confirmed contestants already including reality TV stars and broadcasters.

See the rolling list of confirmed contestants for Dancing On Ice 2025 below…

Ferne McCann

‘The Only Way is Essex’ star Ferne McCann says she is ‘competitive’ (ITV)

The first star confirmed to take to the ice next year is TV personality Ferne McCann. The 34-year-old is best known as a long-time cast member of The Only Way Is Essex.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain, she said: “I’m looking forward to it, it’s gonna be such a challenge, I’m such a huge fan of the show and with all the glitz and the glamour, it’s gonna be brilliant. I’ve got no idea [who my partner is]. I wanna be good, I am competitive...I’m looking forward to the challenge. We haven’t started training yet, we start next week.”

As well as TOWIE, McCann competed on 2015’s season of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here, placing third after runner-up George Shelley and winner Vicky Pattison. No stranger to TV competitions, she also featured on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins and Celebs Go Dating.

McCann, who has two children, previously presented shows including First Time Mum and My Family and Me.

Mollie Pearce

‘The Traitors’ runner-up Mollie Pearce has some previous experience skating (Dancing On Ice)

Second to be announced on this years line-up is Traitors star Mollie Pearce

Speaking on Lorraine, the 22-year-old said: “It will be fun, I want to challenge myself, I’m ready for the challenge.” Pearc also said that she used to skate with her mother when she was younger.

The disability model and healthcare assistant rose to fame on the second series of BBC’s hit game show The Traitors. She made it to the final of the competition before she was betrayed by her friend Harry Clark, who went on to win the series.

In her work as a disability model for brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Pearce has modelled different kinds of adaptive clothing, including swimwear and underwear that accommodates a stoma – such as the one she wears due to ulcerative colitis, an autoimmune condition that causes inflammation in the large intestine triggering ulcers and debilitating pain.

Radio DJ Adele Roberts, a fellow stoma bag user who competed on Dancing On Ice last year, sent Pearce a message congratulating her on “the most incredible news” and thanking her for bringing awareness to stoma bags.

Sir Steve Redgrave

Sir Steve Redgrave, 62, won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games (ITV)

Third on the list is Olympic rowing legend Sir Steve Redgrave, who told This Morning: “It’s like going back to being an athlete again, I’ve been competing most of my life.”

The 62-year-old rower won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000, making him the most successful male rower in Olympic history. In 2011, he was awarded BBC Sports Personality of the Year – Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Buckinghamshire-born athlete was made a CBE in 1997, and in 2001 was appointed a Knight Bachelor for his services to rowing.

Sam Aston

‘Coronation Street’ star Sam Aston is looking forward to the public getting to know him beyond his character (ITV)

Coronation Street star Sam Aston told This Morning that he is “nervous but excited to get going”.

“It’s going to be nice for the public to see me for me rather than Chesney,” said the actor who is best known for his role as Chesney Brown on the ITV soap opera.

Aston, 31, joined Coronation Street in 2003 after which he was awarded Best Newcomer at the National Television Awards. His older sister, Emily Aston, played Becky Palmer on the series frm 1996 to 1997.

Earlier this year, he celebrated the birth of his third child with his wife, Briony, a baby girl called Hazel Marie Aston.

Charlie Brooks

‘EastEnders’ actor Charlie Brooks will be joining the cast (ITV)

Charlie Brooks, best known for playing the evil Janine Butcher in EastEnders, has said she is “going to embrace the spray tan”.

Speaking ahead of the show, she said: “All I want to do is enjoy it and try not to break my leg.”

The actor first appeared as Janine on the BBC soap in 1998, succeeding Alexa Demetriou in the role. She left the soap in 2004 and, after several small returns, came back as a regular in 2008. She departed again in 2014, but returned in 2021.

Josh Jones

(ITV)

Stand-up comedian Josh Jones is the sixth celebrity confirmed to be joining the series.

Talking to radio station Gaydio about the announcement, he admitted he has “no experience” with skating but “did it once for a date years ago” and he “wasn’t very good”.

“I was holding onto the railings the entire time and we aren’t together now,” he said. “My dancing isn’t great either, for a gay man I have no rhythm, I struggle to clap along to a beat so this will be fun.”

The comedian has appeared on various TV shows, such as UK Comedy Central Live, The Chris McCausland show and hosts the podcast Dead Drama.

Anton Ferdinand

Anton Ferdinand will be joining ‘Dancing on Ice’ in 2025 (ITV)

Footballer and Pundit Anton Ferdinand is the seventh celebrity confirmed to be getting his skates on.

Announcing the news on talkSPORT Radio, Ferdinand said he signed up because the show is a “challenge first and foremost”.

“I’m in a new phase of my life since retiring from football and the one of the things I’ve missed about playing is the structure it gives you. Dancing On Ice will give me that focus but I’m also doing it for my daughter because she loves dance and performing arts. My son always had my football to shout about so this will give my daughter and me something to share.”

Chelsee Healey

(ITV)

Healey, the actor best known for Janeece Bryant in the BBC secondary school drama Waterloo Road, will also be joining the 2025 lineup.

Talking to Heart Radio about the announcement, she said: “I’m ready, I’m good to go, let’s go! I’ve got a bit of rhythm but skating on ice is completely different, I’m excited.”

She added: “I’m most excited for the live shows, getting to perform live every week will give me a buzz, I can’t wait for the live shows.”

Dan Edgar

(ITV)

Reality star Dan Edgar, best known for appearing in TOWIE, will also be joining the series.

Speaking about his announcement, Edgar said: “I’m looking forward to it but the thought of the live shows and performing is very real.”

He added: “I like to think I can ice skate a little bit but I’m a terrible dancer so that bit is going to need some work.”

Chris Taylor

(ITV)

Chris Taylor, best known for competing in the 2019 series of Love Island, has said he is “somewhere between terrified and very excited” about his Dancing on Ice debut.

Speaking about his casting Taylor said: “I keep flitting between the two quite aggressively throughout the day. I’ve not even started stretching yet, I need to.”

He: “I can skate but my dad got the snakehips, unfortunately I didn’t inherit that genetically from him.”

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