Dancing on Ice 2022: Meet the 12 celebrities

ITV have announced the full line-up of contestants gearing up to strap on their blades for Dancing on Ice 2022.

The new series will feature stars from the worlds of pop, sport and TV soap and see Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby return as presenters.

Back on the judging panel will be Ashley Banjo, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, but John Barrowman, who joined the judging panel in 2019, will not be part of the new series.

Barrowman stepped down after his behaviour at work came under renewed scrutiny earlier this year. He had previously apologised for exposing himself to colleagues on the sets of other shows. ITV have said they will be announcing a replacement for Barrowman in due course.

Capital FM presenter Sonny Jay won the 2021 series and whoever triumphs next, the show's producers and contestants will be hoping the show is not impacted by the problems suffered by the 2021 series, which was cut short by a week after a string of celebrities pulled out through illness and injury.

So, let's take a look at the 12 stars braving the ice early next year.

Fresh from appearing on this year's Love Island, Liberty Poole will be taking to the rink. The former waitress and marketing student from Birmingham is now a social media influencer and has recently been reported to have signed a deal with the fashion retailer In The Style.

Poole was coupled up with Jake Cornish in the latest series of the ITV2 dating show, but she walked away from the opportunity to win £50,000 when she quit just days before the final.

"I grew up watching Dancing On Ice and my mum actually used to be a figure skate," she said. "I ice skate as a hobby sometimes so I can get around the rink but I can't do any tricks, no pirouetting or anything so I'm really looking forward to pushing myself and learning as much as I possibly can."

Former S Club 7 singer Rachel Stevens shot to fame as part of the chart-topping band between 1999 and 2003.

She later embarked on a successful solo career with the 2003 studio album Funky Dory, and singles including Sweet Dreams My LA Ex and Funky Dory. In 2008, she came second in Strictly Come Dancing.

Stevens said of her new role: "I love the whole idea of working with a team and your partner and also for my girls to be a part of this. They are at an age now where they love all the costumes."

Singer and dancer Regan Gascoigne, the son of former England footballer Paul, said: "Obviously I dance and love dancing, but it's the skill of this... I've always wanted to do it. Always! Ever since I was a kid!"

Gascoigne follows in family footsteps in taking part in a celebrity reality show. His older sister Bianca Gascoigne appeared on Dancing with the Stars in Italy. She also took part in 2017's Celebrity Big Brother.

And his father has just taken part in the Italian version of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

Former England rugby player Ben Foden now plays for Rugby United New York in Major League Rugby. As fullback or scrum-half, he won 34 caps for England between 2009 and 2013.

Foden was previously married to The Saturdays star Una Healy. The pair split in 2018, and he married Jackie Belanoff-Smith in 2019.

"I'm quite competitive as well so I like the challenge of competing against others doing something that I'm not necessarily good at," he said about joining Dancing on Ice.

Stef Reid is a track and field Paralympian who has won both bronze and silver medals at the Paralympic Games, competing in 2008, 2012 and 2016.

After losing her right foot in a boating accident as a teenager, Reid began competing in T44 long jump and sprint events and went on to win a bronze medal in the 200m at 2008 Beijing (representing Canada) and silver medals in long jump at both 2012 London and 2016 Rio (representing the UK).

The athlete has also taken home gold medals from competitions like the IPC World Championships, the IPC European Championships and the Disability Athletics Challenge.

She said: "I'm going to be a contestant on Dancing On Ice and it's a little bit scary but I cannot wait!"

Happy Mondays percussionist Mark 'Bez' Berry is famed for his onstage antics as part of the Madchester-era Happy Mondays. More recently, he has become something of household favourite following his recent stint on Celebrity MasterChef, and regular appearance on Celebrity Gogglebox.

He said: "At the moment it's more like Bambi On Ice, not Dancing On Ice. How I got picked I don't know, because I was absolutely awful at the audition, but they must have seen some potential in me."

Next to soap land, where we find Coronation Street star Sally Dynevor. The actress has become a well-known face on our TV screens, playing Sally Metcalfe in the ITV show.

Dynevor joined the soap back in 1986 and has remained a fixture on the cobbles ever since. She been at the heart of many memorable and dramatic stories. She has also won many awards for her role and received an MBE for services to drama earlier this year.

"I'm not getting any younger. I've just got to take every opportunity I get so that when I'm old I can say, 'You know what? I gave it a go'," she said about taking part in Dancing on Ice.

Kye Whyte is an Olympic BMX rider, who began to hone his skill at the age of three.

He made his mark at this year's Tokyo Olympics when he won a silver medal in his event. Whyte has shown stamina and grit away from the track too, managing to pull himself back up after a serious crash left him unable to compete for almost a year when he was just 13.

His brother Tre also competes as a BMX rider, and the pair say they help spur each other on. Whyte said he was "feeling good" about taking part in Dancing on Ice.

"I have (roller-skated) when I was younger so we'll see how it goes."

Ria Hebden is the presenter of the entertainment slot on the ITV's Lorraine every Friday.

She has also co-presents ITV's All Around Britain with Alex Beresford and featured as a panellist on I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here - The Daily Drop and BBC One's Strictly It Takes Two.

Hebden said of taking part in the show: "It'll be fun. This is one of ITV's most sparkly shows so when they asked me I was like absolutely, we watch it at home. It will be brilliant to learn a new scary skill."

The Pussycat Dolls star Kimberly Wyatt is also due to make her theatre stage debut in 2022, appearing as press secretary Kate Compton in Hilary Bonner's political thriller Dead Lies.

Wyatt was previously a judge on the dance competition show Got To Dance from 2009 to 2014 and won the BBC's Celebrity MasterChef series in 2015.

She said: "I have signed up for Dancing On Ice! I'm nervous, that ice is going to hit hard. I'm just excited to see what I can do on there. I'm up for a challenge!"

Connor Ball, bassist of British pop rock band The Vamps, has also joined the line-up.

The band - consisting of Ball, Brad Simpson, James McVey and Tristan Evans - formed in 2012 and have had singles with Wild Heart, Last Night and Somebody to You featuring Demi Lovato.

Two of their albums have topped the charts and in 2020 they released their fifth studio album titled Cherry Blossom.

Ball admitted he may struggle on the rink, saying: "I'm quite clumsy, accident-prone. Ice is hard!"

Completing the star line-up is former Strictly pro-dancer Brendan Cole. On swapping the dance floor for the ice rink, Cole said: "I'm a fairly confident person and I like to think I'm going to be good at what I put my hand to."

Cole was a professional on the BBC flagship show for 15 years dancing with the likes of Natasha Kaplinsky, Kelly Brook, Lisa Snowdon and Charlotte Hawkins between 2004 and 2017.

He has since appeared as a judge on New Zealand's Dancing With The Stars and as a guest judge on Britain's Next Top Model.