Dancing On Ice returns to our screens tonight (Sunday 12 January), bringing all the usual thrills, spills, gossip and sparkle – and one professional skater who’s thrilled to be back is Vanessa Bauer. “Every year’s so different and this one has already been a lot of fun,” she says when we catch up with her during a break from the intense rehearsals. The 28-year-old German skater has made quite a splash since joining the show in 2018. She won with X Factor singer Jake Quickenden in her first year and has reached the final multiple times, most recently with Made In Chelsea’s Miles Nazaire in 2024. And there have been rumours of Vanessa growing close to some of her celeb skating partners along the way.
This time, she’s hitting the ice with former Love Island star Chris Taylor and so far, as she exclusively tells OK!, it’s been "non-stop laughter. “ "Chris loves to slide, so I think there’ll be a few knee slides in our upcoming routines,” she giggles. Away from the rink, Vanessa has had her fair share of heartache. Her dad died from cancer in 2021 and to honour his memory, and raise awareness for children’s bereavement charity Grief Encounter, she joined a charity trek in Slovenia. Here, she talks about why her dad will always be her biggest supporter and what fans can expect from the new series…
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Instagram/@christophertaylorofficial)Hi Vanessa! How’s training going?
Great, I love it. Chris has really kept me laughing on the ice. He’s so funny, which has really helped on training days.
Is his humour better than his skating?
I mean, you’ll see yourselves whether he’s good or not [laughs]. For instance, today he came off the ice and instantly cracked a joke. We’d just performed our routine in front of everyone for the very first time and he was so nervous, but he delivered. I’m really proud of him. I’m excited for viewers to see what he can do now.
Is there a lot of behind-the-scenes work that viewers perhaps don’t realise?
Totally. We’ve been training for about three months by the time we first appear on TV – for hours and hours, every single day. There’s so much hard work already been done. In fact, the first live show is closer to the end of our journey than the beginning.
Who could be your biggest competition this year?
That’s a difficult one. Chelsee [Healey] is absolutely fearless. She’s happy to be lifted already. But it’s still early days.
You’ve been in the final more than once – what’s your secret ingredient?
I love teaching and sharing my passion and I do have a good track record, but I’m more happy that my partners tend to really enjoy ice skating. I think that’s my secret recipe – to make them fall in love with the ice. Then everything else falls into place.
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Ian West/PA)What’s been a show highlight for you?
Oh, winning in my first year, but it’s all about the magic that happens on the ice for me. To this day, one of my favourite routines was the Romeo and Juliet one with Perri [Kiely]. That has a special place in my heart.
Is there a skating style you’d love to try?
My first routine with Chris is something I’ve never tried. I’ve never skated comedically before [laughs]. It’s a different challenge.
If you could choose any celeb to skate with, who would it be?
Can I bring Audrey Hepburn back to life for it? She’d be really elegant. If it had to be a living celebrity, I’d choose Ryan Gosling. There always seems to be romance rumours surrounding you… I never pay attention to any headlines. I’m there to do my job. I’m a big believer in letting our performances do the talking. I just have my eyes on the ice and on the results.
It must be nice to see Holly Willoughby after her tough year…
Yes! We don’t really see the presenters a lot as we’re busy with rehearsals, but it’s beautiful when we do come together in a live show.
What do you think about the new 24-hour hotline set up for DOI contestants to voice any concerns – was that needed?
I think it’s needed in all workplace environments. I’m very happy we have that now. I don’t think it’s a reflection of the TV industry, just of society progressing in the right direction.
You took part in a five-day charity trek in Slovenia for Grief Encounter in October, in memory of your dad…
I did and it was very emotional. I started working with Grief Encounter last year after I sadly lost my dad to cancer three years ago. I’m now at a point where I believe I’m healed enough to help other young people and pass on the message that you can come out the other side of the grieving process and be able to live a happy life. Apparently, in the UK, one child in every classroom will experience a family bereavement before the age of 16.
Did it feel good to be doing something positive?
It was an empowering moment. Even though my dad battled illness for seven years, it still felt sudden when we lost him and I struggled for those first couple of years. The trek was challenging because it brought it all back, but I found strength speaking about it too. It also gave me the opportunity to connect with people who were going through the same thing.
Was your dad proud of your career?
Yes, he and my mum have always been proud and he loved watching me on the ice. He’d always say his biggest achievement in his life was bringing up my younger brother and me, and seeing us living really fulfilled lives. That’s what was important to him.
Could you see yourself taking part in I’m A Celebrity like Dancing On Ice judge Oti Mabuse?
I’m A Celeb would be fun. I could see that happening, maybe in the future. I’ve got my acting goals right now. I’ve been working on a movie, so we’ll see what happens after that.
For more information about Grief Encounter, visit griefencounter.org.uk. Dancing On Ice kicks off on Sunday 12 January, at 6.30pm on ITV.
English (US) ·