Dancing on Ice stars pictured with partners for first time as Dan Edgar practises jaw-dropping lifts

TOWIE's Dan Edgar and Ferne McCann and footballer Anton Ferdinand have been pictured with their professional skating partners for the first time on the ice

It's two months to go until Dancing on Ice returns to screens and some of 2025's stars are already showing off what they can really do.

Pictured with his partner for the very first time, TOWIE star Dan Edgar showed off his strength as he practised a series of daring lifts with pro Vanessa James Amoros. With feet on firm ground and off the ice for the time being, Dan was spotted launching the skater into the air outside the rink as she performed the splits.

The focused reality TV star even went as far as to lay his coat on the floor and lie on his back and lift her into the air, Dirty Dancing style. Dan and Vanessa moved their practice onto the ice as he performed a tricky knee lift before attempting some synchronised skating.

Ferne McCann was also spotted with her partner Brendyn Hatfield for the first time, managing to execute a dainty lift on the ice. It's a world away from her fears that she would be nowhere near ready come January. Speaking to the Mirror last month, she admitted that she'd found training "challenging".

"It's like learning how to walk again," she said. "It's like learning a new language again. I really want to be positive but at the moment I can't do a lot of the stuff and I'm getting very frustrated! I just want to trust the process. I can't see how I'm skating now how I'm going to be show ready come January! So just pray for me!"

Meanwhile Anton Ferdinand appeared to be in deep concentration as his partner Annette Dytrt helped correct his form on the rink. As he managed to lift a leg up into the air, the blonde skater balanced him by placing a hand on his shoulder. The duo also held hands as they skated around the ice.

It comes as ITV bosses are set to put in place a 24-hour hotline for show stars following the infamous Strictly scandal earlier this year. The BBC dance competition was hit with bullying claims earlier this year involving pro dancer Giovanni Pernice and actress Amanda Abbington. A larger scale investigation was also launched and resulted in pro Graziano Di Prima being sacked for kicking TV personality Zara McDermott.

The celebrities set to star on Dancing On Ice early next year will be assigned a producer to ensure that their "wellbeing" is kept in check, according to reports.

Meanwhile Dan will be very happy about his partnership after reportedly requesting to not be paired with another pro skater. The move comes as he allegedly wants to stay loyal to pal Joey Essex.

Fellow TOWIE star Joey had a fling with Vanessa during his time on the 2023 series of the show. “Dan didn’t want anything to distract him from the competition and he didn’t want to have to worry about what Joey was thinking," a source claimed. "Why create any problems when it’s easily avoided by asking for a different dancer? Insiders say it was discussed as part of his discussions about joining the show and didn’t cause any problems."

They added to the Sun that Dan wanted to keep things "really professional" and despite Joey and Vanessa not ending things badly, he found it the "easiest solution". Reality star Dan recently split from Ella Rae Wise following his six-year relationship with Amber Turner. Vanessa is also believed to be single.

Talking to Heart Radio about appearing on the dance show, Dan said: "I'm looking forward to it but the thought of the live shows and performing is very real. I like to think I can ice skate a little bit but I'm a terrible dancer so that bit is going to need some work."

Joey and Vanessa sparked romance rumours with their chemistry on the ice rink and thanks to sharing cosy snaps with each other on their social media accounts. Speaking before the Dancing on Ice final, Joey opened up on how he thought his relationship with Vanessa would develop once the series came to an end.

He told the Mirror and other press: "Me and Vanessa have a great bond, we've always gotten on well with each other since day one. It's very special and I think it would be quite nice to see what’s going on in the outside because we're just mainly in the the ice rink to be honest. We’re taking it day by day. We've got the final ahead of us all of our focus is definitely on the final."

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