By Katie Rosseinsky

Published: Sunday, 15 January 2023 at 12:00 am


A new season of Dancing on Ice is upon us, meaning that 11 celebrity contestants are getting ready to take to the rink with their professional partners and show off their skating skills.

The stars will be hoping to impress the judging panel, which comprises skating champions Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, former Strictly star Oti Mabuse and Diversity’s Ashley Banjo, and earn votes from the viewers at home.

Each week, the two lowest scoring couples will have to perform in the skate-off, and one pair will be sent home by the judges.

Featuring on the starry Dancing on Ice 2023 line-up alongside the likes of Love Island winner Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu and former EastEnders star Patsy Palmer will be singer Michelle Heaton, who has been paired up with Łukasz Różycki.

Here’s what you need to know about Michelle before she makes her debut on the show.

Who is Michelle Heaton?

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Michelle Heaton on Dancing on Ice.
ITV

Age: 43

Job: Singer and TV star

Instagram: @wonderwomanshel

Twitter: @wonderwomanshel

Paired with: Łukasz Różycki

Heaton first found fame in 2001, when she appeared on the reality show Popstars and ended up in the final 10 contestants. While the five winners would go on to form the group Hear’Say, Heaton and her fellow runners-up Kevin Simm, Jessica Taylor, Kelli Young and Tony Lundon joined forces to become Liberty X.

Their third single Just a Little was released in 2002 and hit the number one spot in the UK chart. Other hits from the band included Thinking It Over, Got to Have Your Love and Being Nobody.

The group announced in 2007 that they’d be parting ways, but later reunited for ITV2 show The Big Reunion in 2012 along with other Noughties groups like Atomic Kitten, Five, 911 and B*Witched.

Heaton has featured in a handful of reality shows, including the MTV series Totally Scott-Lee (where she appeared alongside then-partner Andy Scott-Lee and his sister, Steps star Lisa), a celebrity edition of Come Dine with Me and Celebrity Big Brother.

She has also spoken candidly about her experience of alcohol addiction and her sobriety journey, appearing on Loose Women last year to discuss her experience of rehab and the impact her drinking had on her family.

What has Michelle Heaton said about joining Dancing on Ice 2023?

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Meet the contestants taking part in Dancing on Ice 2023.
ITV

Heaton and her young children are “huge fans” of the show, and she is hoping that her performance will make her kids “proud”.

“I want to try my very best and put my all into this,” she said. “[I’m] getting to experience something that brings a lot of happiness to us as a family – they’ve been my support system through recovery.”

When she was announced as a contestant, the star said she had “always wanted” to appear on Dancing on Ice, but “would never have been able to complete anything because of the way I was 18 months ago, so I’m really truly grateful that I’ve got it this year when I’m a lot stronger.”

Dancing on Ice airs on ITV1 and ITX on Sundays. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide for more to watch.

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