We’ll admit it, when ‘Dancing On Ice’ was on air, we pretty much considered it the naffest show on telly, and we’d be lying if we said we’d spent a great deal of time thinking about it since the final series aired.
And yet, when the news came on Tuesday (7 March) that there could be a revival in the pipeline, we suddenly felt pangs of nostalgia for the celeb-based show.
For the past few years, we’ve been getting our January reality fix from ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ on Channel 5, which hardly has the same light-hearted flavour as ‘Dancing On Ice’, and while ITV have tried to fill the gap in their schedule with shows like ‘Dance Dance Dance’ and ‘Get Your Act Together’, none of them have hit the spot.
We’re as surprised as anyone to be saying it, but we think it might actually be time for ‘Dancing On Ice’ to return - so long, of course, as Phillip Schofield returns to present, and there are as many moments as memorable (intentionally or not) as these past highlights...
1. Pamela Anderson makes £1000 a second (Series 8)
The former ‘Baywatch’ actress was the star draw back in 2013, bagging a cool £150,000 to take part in the show.
Unfortunately for ITV, she lasted just one week, meaning that for every second she was on the ice in her first live show, she earned a grand.
That was just enough time for her to suffer a wardrobe malfunction, and give Emeli Sandé some much-needed promo when she skated along to her seldom-heard (particularly back in 2013) hit, ‘Read All About It’.
2. Tim Healy confronts Jason Gardiner (Series 6)
When Denise Welch was on the show, judge Jason Gardiner really did seem to have it in for her, and a few weeks into the competition, her then-husband Tim Healy decided he’d had enough of it.
Making his way down from the audience, Tim leant in and told Jason (to cries for him to “sit down” from Denise): “Listen, mate, she’s 52, and she’s got four jobs. How many jobs have you got?”
Sadly, Tim’s defence wasn’t enough to keep her in the competition, and she was eliminated later in the episode.
3. Jason Gardiner crosses a line with Karen Barber (Series 6)
It wasn’t just the contestants that Jason got on the wrong side of, though, and in 2011, he faced a backlash when over comments he made to Karen Barber, who had moved from the Ice Panel to the position of head coach.
After Karen contested one of his comments, Jason flippantly remarked that “if her opinion still mattered, she’d be on the panel”, which came as a shock to viewers and the studio audience, with Holly Willoughby having to step in to defend the former judge.
4. Todd Carty loses control on the ice (Series 4)
Listen, we know it’s not exactly sophisticated and nuanced humour, but watching Todd Carty slide his way off screen - accompanied, ironically, by The Beatles’ ‘Help!’ - still makes us chuckle eight years later.
5. Who doesn’t love a reveal, eh? (Series 6)
6. Behind-the-scenes love drama (Series 8)
While ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ is famous for the so-called “curse” that often breaks up its contestants and their partners, ‘Dancing On Ice’ has also had its own cases of turbulent romances.
In series six, ‘Hollyoaks’ star Jennifer Metcalfe got together with her professional skating partner, Sylvain Longchambon, who she was with for two years, until he began dating his new partner, ‘Coronation Street’ actress Samia Ghadie, who he later married in August 2016.
It wasn’t an amicable break-up, though, with Jennifer claiming that being dumped by Sylvain (on Christmas Day, no less) had left her “gutted”, though he has always maintained that he was never unfaithful.
7. David Seaman’s partner left needing stitches after training accident (Series 1)
The former goalie was one of the first celebs ever to take part in ‘Dancing On Ice’, but was also involved in one of its nastiest injuries ever, when he dropped partner Pam O’Connor on the ice, leaving her needing stitches.
One word: ouchie.
8. Coleen Nolan performs to ‘I’m In The Mood For Dancing’ (Series 4)
Has a Nolan sister really taken part in a reality show if this song hasn’t been wheeled out?
9. Gareth Thomas’s dizziness gets the better of him (Series 8)
Poor Gareth Thomas suffered from terrible motion sickness during his time on the rink, which reached its peak when he was supposed to take part in a flying routine during the semi-finals.
The medical team refused to allow the rugby star to take part in his last performance of the night, leaving Phillip Schofield to have to fill in time during the live show.
10. Every time Sylvain Longchambon skated with his top off
But especially this time. Wow.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.