When does Dancing On Ice 2022 start and who is in the lineup?

Dancing on Ice 2022 will be here before we know it and with exciting details about the line up already announced, the anticipation is building as we wait to see the new contestants take to the ice. 

It might seem like no time has passed at all since Radio presenter and singer Sonny Jay and his professional partner Angela Egan ice danced their way to victory and were crowned Dancing on Ice 2021 winners. But as the colder nights draw in, it’s time once again to see another brilliant line up of contestants take to the iconic Dancing on Ice rink. 

Although the winner of Strictly Come Dancing has only just been announced in the final, and fans still have the Strictly Christmas Special to look forward to, viewers are already getting excited to watch contestants put to the test on a very different type of dance floor. Dancing on Ice is set to return in the not-to-distant future with its magnificent ice dance routines and complicated lifts, twists and turns. 

But when does Dancing on Ice 2022 start, who has been confirmed in the line up and who are the judges this year? We reveal all you need to know ahead of the hit ice dance show’s return. 

Who are the Dancing On Ice judges for 2022?

Dancing on Ice has featured some A-list judges throughout its history, welcoming the likes of Spice Girl Emma Bunton, The Pussycat Dolls' Ashley Roberts and figure skater Robin Cousins over the years. 

The most recent panel in 2021 consisted of Diversity dancer Ashley Banjo, ice dance Olympians Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, and John Barrowman. 

Ashley, Jayne and Christopher will be returning, but it was confirmed only recently that Oti Mabuse will be the newest judge and will be replacing John Barrowman due to his former misconduct. 

The actor has been accused of repeatedly exposing himself on the set of Doctor Who, on which he played Captain Jack Harkness. He apologized for his actions in May, just a few months after ITV canceled its Viewpoint finale amid Noel Clarke sexual harassment allegations. 

ITV have now confirmed John would leave his two-year-long role as a judge on Dancing on Ice, telling The Mirror, "We thank John Barrowman for two brilliant years on the Dancing on Ice panel and are pleased to be working with him again as host of the forthcoming All Star Musicals specials.”

Katie Rawcliffe, Head of Entertainment Commissioning at ITV spoke about how excited Dancing on Ice is to welcome Oti to the panel. 

“Oti is not only a supremely talented dancer and choreographer but she brings enormous fun and energy to all that she does. It’s fantastic to be welcoming her to our Ice Panel,” said the ITV spokesperson.

Dancing on Ice contestants 2022—the confirmed cast

• Sally Dynevor
• Bez
• Stef Reid
• Regan Gascoigne
• Ben Foden
• Liberty Poole
• Rachel Stevens
• Brendan Cole
• Kimberley Wyatt
• Kye Whyte
• Connor Ball
• Ria Hebden

Sally Dynevor 

Perhaps one of the most well-known of these for ITV fans is Coronation Street star Sally Dynevor, who is the first famous name announced for the series, having never figure skated before in her life. The courageous actor has played Sally Webster on the soap since 1986 and is the mother of Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor, who is set to star in an Exciting Times TV adaptation.

Sally shared the brilliant news about her Dancing On Ice participation during a recent appearance on ITV daytime show, Lorraine. 

“This is a massive challenge, Lorraine,” she revealed to host Lorraine Kelly. “It really, really is. I’m not getting any younger, I’ve just got to take every opportunity I get so that when I’m old I can say you know what? I gave it a go.”

Sally added that, despite feeling "so scared", she is determined to prove to herself she can do it. “I just want to do this for myself. Give me a bit of confidence and do something different," she said. 

Bez

Happy Mondays star Bez has also confirmed his participation in Dancing on Ice 2022. The English musician, who has starred in multiple reality shows already including Celebrity MasterChef 2021, shared the exciting news during a recent appearance on This Morning. 

"It's going to be a whole new experience, I think I'll grow up to like it," he told hosts, Holly Willoughby, and Phillip Schofield. 

Stef Reid

Stef Reid might already be well-known to sport fans as she is a Paralympic athlete who has achieved great success throughout her career, including securing a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games and a silver medal at the 2012 London Paralympic Games. Now Stef has been confirmed as taking on the challenge of participating in Dancing on Ice 2022. 

Announcing the news on Good Morning Britain, the Paralympian declared, “I have some really exciting news. I'm going to be picking up a new sport this winter and it comes with a little bit of showbiz. I'm going to be a contestant on Dancing on Ice and it's a little bit scary but I cannot wait!"

Regan Gascoigne 

Regan is not only a dancer, but the son of football legend Paul Gascoigne and he is now set to take part on Dancing on Ice 2022.

“Obviously I dance and love dancing but it’s the skill of this,” he reportedly declared as he discussed his new challenge. “I’ve always wanted to do it. Always! Ever since I was a kid!”

Ben Foden

Rugby player Ben Foden has now also been confirmed as a contestant on Dancing on Ice 2022. The sportsman, who shares two children with his former wife and Saturdays’ singer Una Healy, seems delighted to be joining the show and has discussed his childhood love of ice skating.  

As reported by the RadioTimes, Ben explained, "I used to skate a little when I was a kid. I’d go to ice discos when I was 15, 16 (years old) and you’d always see these kids that could do pirouettes that had a proper dancing background. 

“I like the idea of learning a new sport and a new skill. I’m quite competitive as well so I like the challenge of competing against others doing something that I’m not necessarily good at!"

Whether Ben will go on to shine on the Dancing on Ice rink remains to be seen! 

Liberty Poole

Love Island star Liberty Poole, who amassed thousands of fans during her time in the Mallorcan villa over the summer, will also be competing on Dancing on Ice’s next series. Opening up about her forthcoming appearance, Liberty reflected on how she already enjoys ice skating as a hobby, so is excited to learn more during her time on the hit show.  

“I ice skate as a hobby sometimes so I can get around the rink but I can’t do any tricks, no pirouetting or anything”, she said. “So I’m really looking forward to pushing myself and learning as much as I possibly can.” 

Rachel Stevens

Former S-Club 7 star Rachel Stevens will be skating onto the rink for Dancing on Ice 2022. The singer appeared on ITV's This Morning to talk about her excitement about participating in the show.

"Now it feels really real so I’m like, oh my God," Rachel told Holly Willoughby. "I feel so excited, obviously really nervous, it’s one of those things until you do it you don’t know what’s going to happen."

The star revealed that her daughters were also particularly excited to see their mum in the competition and were eager to see the fun costumes their mother would be wearing on the ice.

"The opportunity came up and I just thought, what an amazing thing to learn a new skill. I love the whole idea of working with a team and your partner and also for my girls to be a part of this. They are at an age now where they love all the costumes!" said Rachel.

Brendan Cole

Brendan Cole, the famous ballroom dancer all the way from New Zealand is another confirmed contestant in the show.

Brendan was revealed to be a contestant on ITV’s Loose Women. “I’m so, so excited,”  said the dancer. “It’s been a while coming now. I’ve known I’d be doing the show for quite some time and I want to get started, I’m so excited to be on the show.”

While training for the competition, the dancer has had a few tricky run-ins and has already sliced his partner, Vanessa Bauer, across the back while training for the show. It is understood that despite setbacks the dancer is determined to succeed and has already promised fans that he will perform the iconic 'headbanger' move on week one.

Kimberley Wyatt

Former Pussycat Doll singer and dancer Kimberly Wyatt has also been confirmed in the Strictly line up. 

The singer discussed this new exciting challenge on Heart Radio this month with her former bandmate Ashley Roberts. "I have signed up for Dancing on Ice! I'm nervous, that ice is going to hit hard," said Kimberly.

"I'm just excited to see what I can do on there. I'm up for a challenge!"

Kye Whyte

Olympic athlete Kye Whyte who made history at the recent 2020 Tokyo Olympics when he won Great Britain's first-ever BMX Olympic medal, has also been confirmed as a contestant. 

The Olympic athlete told CBBC's Newround that he was 'feeling good' and excited about participating in the show and even thought he had a fair chance of winning.

"I think I can win Dancing On Ice. I’d love to see if I can make the final because, as I said, I’m very competitive. You know what? I want to make the final!," said Kye.

Connor Ball

The Vamps singer Connor Ball has also been confirmed in the line up. The singer revealed that although her is excited to participate, he is certain that he will experience a fair few injuries while taking part in the show.

“There is no way I’m coming out of this with no injury, but I’m doing Dancing on Ice. Excited. Scared. Nervous,” Connor said on Twitter.

After his first training day in October, the singer also took to social media to reveal that he was struggling with the physical demands of the show. 

"First day of training on ice and my body feels like it’s been attacked from all angles OW *books massage*" said the singer. Connor also joked on Twitter, "please don’t tell me to break a leg cause I actually will."

Ria Hebden

Ria Hebden who is best known as Lorraine's resident entertainment presenter, has also been signed on as a contestant on the show. 

Ria announced her involvement in October when she took to Twitter to say, "OMG this is really happening!! I'm delighted to share that I'll be joining the 2022 cast of ITV's most sparkliest show, Dancing on Ice and I can't wait to get my skates on!!"

On Lorraine the presenter announced that she was scared but thrilled by the new challenge. "It’ll be fun. I mean, this is one of ITV’s most sparkly shows, so when they asked me I was like, ‘Absolutely! I watch it at home, it’ll be brilliant to learn a new scary skill!' But you’ve got to say yes to things that excite you that are a little bit scary because that’s where the growth happens, right? I’m hoping so anyway!” said Ria.

Dancing on Ice 2022 Trailer

Who is most likely to win Dancing on Ice 2022?

Betfair spokesperson Sam Rosbottom said, "As a ballroom dancer, it is no surprise Brendan Cole is the 3/1 favourite to win Dancing on Ice in January, while Love Island star Liberty Poole and Paul Gascoigne's son Regan are 4/1 and 5/1 respectively to win on the ice. Happy Mondays dancer Bez is the rank outsider at 33/1.

The contestants current odds are:

• Brendan Cole: 3/1 
• Liberty Poole: 4/1 
• Regan Gascoigne: 5/1 
• Ben Foden: 6/1 
• Rachel Stevens: 8/1 
• Kimberly Wyatt: 8/1 
• Kye Whyte: 10/1 
• Connor Ball: 12/1 
• Stef Reid: 12/1 
• Ria Hebden: 18/1 
• Sally Dynevor: 25/1 
• Bez: 33/1

When does Dancing on Ice 2022 start?

Dancing on Ice 2022 will return to ITV for its highly-anticipated 14th series in early January. 

The glitzy ice dance competition has aired on Sunday evenings since 2008, so it's thought likely that it will retain its prime weekend slot for next year's series.

Fans predict that ITV will begin broadcasting on Sunday, January 9, 2022.