Dancing On Ice winner James Jordan has explained why Ferne McCann may be prevented from following in his footsteps on the ITV show.
The Towie star, 34, has been partnered with professional skater Brendyn Hatfield and is competing against the likes of The Traitors star Mollie Pearce, 22, and Olympic rower Sir Steve Redgrave, 62.
However, former Strictly Come Dancing professional James, 46, believes Ferne’s height could be an obstacle to being crowned champion.
He would know all about winning Dancing On Ice as he previously skated to glory with partner Alexandra Schauman in 2019.
When asked about potential champions among the 2025 line-up, James told The Mirror in association with Sky Vegas: ‘It would be great to have a really strong female.
‘I was thinking about Ferne McCann. She’s only 34 but she’s very tall and I worry that she’s going to struggle.’
Prior to confirming her spot on Good Morning Britain, a source had claimed Ferne had signed up for Dancing On Ice to ‘win over the public’ after being embroiled in a scandal.
In 2022, Ferne was heard in leaked voice notes calling the woman attacked with acid by her ex-boyfriend Arthur Collins ‘an ugly f*****g c**t.’
Collins, the father of her daughter Sunday, six, was jailed for 20 years for for throwing acid and injuring multiple people in a nightclub in 2017.
Ferne later apologised to Sophie Hall and the other victims of the 2017 attack but maintained the voice notes were ‘manipulated, edited and taken out of context.’
Elsewhere, disaster has already struck Dancing On Ice with Paralympic grand champion Dame Sarah Storey having to pull out due to an ankle injury sustained during rehearsals.
‘Whilst I can’t wear my left skating boot in time to take to the ice in January, I’m working with the team at ITV to come up with a plan for what’s next
‘And I’ll always be the biggest cheerleader of the awesome group that is the Class of 2025,’ she wrote in a message to fans in December,’ she wrote in a statement in December.
The Traitors star Mollie Pearce, 22, also revealed she was forced to postpone training on the rink with partner Colin Grafton for a month after suffering an injury.
She said according to The Sun: ‘Before I met Colin, I actually fractured my wrist.
‘So we were off the ice for four weeks. We had some tough days with that.
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‘I think we were really excited to get back on, and you know, it felt like a big setback.’
Other celebrities competing in the contest include Towie star Dan Edgar, Barbie actor Chris Taylor, TV favourite Michaela Strachan and Hollyoaks star Chelsee Healey.
Joining them are footballer Anton Ferdinand, stand-up comedian Josh Jones, EastEnders legend Charlie Brooks and Coronation Street star Sam Aston.
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Dancing On Ice returns tonight at 6.30pm on ITV and ITVX.
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