Dancing on Ice narrowly avoids disaster over 'awkward' pairing between skater and actress

ITV bosses wanted to brace Chelsee Healey with Sylvian Longchambon connected Dancing connected Ice but since she is friends with Jennifer Metcalfe, they changed their mind, it has been claimed

Dancing connected Ice narrowly avoided catastrophe owed to a potentially "awkward" pairing, it has been claimed.

Bosses of the ITV amusement reportedly wanted Hollyoaks prima Chelsee Healey to skate with dancer Sylvian Longchambon. However, erstwhile it emerged that the 36-year-old histrion is friends with Sylvian's ex, Jennifer Metcalfe, 41, they changed their caput successful bid to debar immoderate awkwardness, it has been claimed.

Chelsee was yet paired with nonrecreational skater Andy Buchanan connected the show. Her person Jennifer, known for her relation arsenic Mercedes McQueen successful the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, antecedently dated Sylvian, who is present joined to Coronation Street histrion Samia Ghadie.

A Dancing connected Ice root told The Sun: "ITV bosses primitively wanted to brace Chelsee up with Sylvian but decided against it beauteous quickly. She's adjacent friends with Jennifer Metcalfe and to skate with Jen's ex aft each the Dancing On Ice play and however they divided up - it would beryllium a nightmare.

"The hostility would beryllium unbearable - everyone thinks Sylvian volition beryllium avoiding Chelsee backstage astatine the amusement due to the fact that of the history. She's truly blessed to beryllium skating with Andy." Sylvian, 44, joined Samia, 42, successful 2016. The brace welcomed a lad unneurotic successful September 2015. Samia besides has a daughter, Freya, with her ex-husband, Matt Smith.

Sylvian antecedently dated Jennifer for 2 years, aft they were paired connected Dancing connected Ice successful 2011. However, the skater split up with the histrion connected Christmas Day successful 2013, and began dating Samia astir that time. Samia denied having thing to bash with the split.

At the time, Jennifer said she felt "gutted" astir the divided and her friends rallied circular to assistance her get implicit her heartache. A adjacent pal told The Mirror successful 2013: "Her friends are aggravated and person travel retired warring for Jen. She's been profoundly wounded. She's a beautiful, loyal idiosyncratic who's been treated successful the worst imaginable way."

Talking astir her stint connected DOI, Chelsee said she is excited but not excessively assured - and added the lone clip she goes skating is with her daughter, Coco. Last month, she told Closer: "I tin execute and I bash person rhythm, but I don't cognize whether that volition basal up connected the ice, arsenic I'm a shocking ice-skater. I'm not the best, the lone clip I spell skating is erstwhile I'm connected 1 of those penguins with Coco!"

She besides revealed she asked Jennifer for advice, saying: "I've asked my Hollyoaks friends Jen Metcalfe and Jorgie Porter, who've done the amusement before, for advice. I told them to springiness maine a fewer lessons. I decidedly won't beryllium arsenic bully arsenic them! I deliberation the line-up is fabulous, I cognize Ferne McCann already, and I'm truthful excited that Charlie Brooks is doing it due to the fact that I grew up watching her - she's the champion signing ever."

The Mirror has contacted ITV for comment.