Reality TV star Chris Taylor shared that he's "bloody delighted" as he unveiled as his skating partner for the new series of Dancing On Ice (DOI) amid rehearsals this week.
The upcoming series of the ITV show is set to launch in January next year and rehearsals are now underway. The line-up of celebrity contestants include Love Island star Chris, 34, whose appearance comes after his stint on the most recent series Celebs Go Dating, which aired earlier this year.
Chris has announced that he's been paired with professional skater Vanessa Bauer, 28, for DOI. He shared the news with his followers on Instagram on Wednesday night. The post was also shared on Vanessa's page on the platform.
Alongside a series of photos and a video showing the pair at an ice rink together, Chris wrote: "Bloody DELIGHTED to say me & Vanessa are skating together on @dancingonice 2025 …swipe to see how in sync we are(n't…yet. I'll accept 51% responsibility for that)."
He continued in the caption: "Quivering with excitement to start skating with V-force & learn some sort of grace/decorum (& possibly improve my still quaver like posture). Message to future Vanessa - I'm sorry. This will make sense in about a week (long/short - I'm quite annoying)."
The post was met with excitement from fans and Vanessa was among those who reacted in the comments section. She wrote in response to her skating partner's post on the platform this week: "SO SO happy! Let's get working."
The new series marks Vanessa's eighth on the long-running ITV show, with her having joined DOI back in 2018. It isn't her first time being paired with a former Love Island contestant and she's reached the final on several occasions.
She notably won her first series, when she was partnered with X Factor singer Jake Quickenden. Vanessa placed as runner-up with Love Island's Wes Nelson, Diversity dancer Perri Kiely and former Strictly Come Dancing star Brendan Cole in subsequent series. She reached the final once again last year when partnered with the Only Way Is Essex star Joey Essex, placing second. Earlier this year, Vanessa was runner-up again when partnered with Made in Chelsea cast member Miles Nazaire.
Announcing her return for the new series, Vanessa wrote in a post to her followers earlier this week: "We're back and I'm SO happy! Who do you think I get to teach this year?" Reflecting on her history on the show, she added: "A win and 6 runner ups! Cannot wait to see what this season brings. I just love this show."
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