Happy Mondays’ Bez signs up for Dancing on Ice

The eccentric Happy Mondays maracas shaker Mark ‘Bez’ Berry is the latest – and somewhat unlikely – celebrity to sign up to ITV’s Dancing on Ice, according to reports today.

The fifty-seven year old, from Bolton, has become a firm TV favourite in recent years, thanks to his appearances on Celebrity Gogglebox, Masterchef and Bargain Hunt.

And now, he is set to venture onto the ice as a part of the popular ITV ice-skating show, Dancing on Ice. 

ITV

Appearing on ITV’s This Morning today, Bez confirmed the rumours, saying he couldn’t believe producers picked him following his audition, noting that it is currently ‘more like Bambi on Ice, not Dancing On Ice.’

He said: “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!

And, when Phil mentioned Bez’s refusal to go anywhere near an ice rink before the start of his training to ‘not pick up any bad habits’, the musician responded: “I think that’s why they picked me because I haven’t got any bad habits because I can’t skate.

“Last year at Christmas I ended up borrowing my son’s penguin to get round the ice rink.”

Though he did admit that he’s looking forward to the experience, saying: “I’m looking forward to learning a new skill and I can’t wait for the Christmas ice rinks again and I can get on there and really show off.”

And, on having to wear sparkles and sequins, he noted: “This is going to be a whole new experience so you never know I might quite grow to like it.”

An official start date for Dancing on Ice 2022 is yet to be announced, but it’s often one of the first shows to look forward to after Christmas.