Dancing On Ice’s Ian ‘H’ Watkins to be part of show’s ‘first ever same-sex dance couple’

It's about time!

Dancing on Ice

by Marianna Manson |
Updated on

Dancing on Ice will feature the first same-sex dance couple in TV history in 2020 – beating rival competition Strictly Come Dancing to the post.

Viewers have long called for more diverse representation on the show, but up until now producers have stuck with heteronormative pairings.

However, the ITV skating competition announced this morning that the upcoming series will see former Steps popstar Ian H Watkins partnered with fan favourite Matt Evers, who was paired with Gemma Collins last year.

Ian H Watkins, Matt Evers
©Getty/ITV

A source told The Sun, "After conversations with the Dancing on Ice production team, H enquired as to the possibility of being paired with a male pro skater.

"Bosses at Dancing on Ice are fully supportive of a same-sex partnership, so this year H will be paired with Matt.

"It’s a huge moment in TV history. A lot of viewers will be watching and the hope is it might set a trend."

CHECK OUT Dancing On Ice 2020 lineup

Gallery

CLOSER Dancing On Ice winners - slider with cover pic

Dancing On Ice1 of 12

Think you can remember all the winners of Dancing On Ice? Let's see...

Gaynor Faye, Dancing On Ice2 of 12
CREDIT: ITV/ Dancing On Ice

Gaynor Faye, 2006

Emmerdale actress Gaynor Faye won the first ever series of Dancing On Ice alongside her professional ice skating partner Daniel Whiston, under the watchful eye of judges Robin Cousins, Karen Barber, Nicky Slater, Jason Gardiner and Karen Kresge.

Dancing On Ice, Kyran Bracken3 of 12
CREDIT: ITV/ Dancing On Ice

Kyran Bracken, 2007

Rugby player Kyran Bracken won the show - and the hearts of viewers - in the second series. Beating Clare Buckfield in the final showdown, Kyran won with his professional partner Melanie Lambert.

Suzanne Shaw, Dancing On Ice4 of 12
CREDIT: ITV/ Dancing On Ice

Suzanne Shaw, 2008

Hear'Say singer Suzanne Shaw won the 2008 series with professional ice skater Matt Evers. Both of their final performances scored a perfect 30/30, which was the first time that had happened on the show, beating runner-up Chris Fountain.

Ray Quinn, Dancing On Ice5 of 12
CREDIT: ITV/ Dancing On Ice

Ray Quinn, 2009

The X Factor star-turned-Broadway star Ray Quinn won the show in 2009 alongside his professional partner Maria Filippov. The couple beat out journalist Donal MacIntyre and his partner Florentine Houdinière with their final performance. He also won the returners' series in 2014.

Hayley Tamaddon, Dancing On Ice6 of 12
CREDIT: ITV/ Dancing On Ice

Hayley Tamaddon, 2010

Corrie and Emmerdale actress Hayley won with second-time winner Daniel Whiston, beating Hollyoaks star Gary Lucy to the top spot. She also made it to the final of the returners' show in 2014, finishing second to Ray Quinn.

Sam Attwater, Dancing On Ice7 of 12
CREDIT: ITV/ Dancing On Ice

Sam Attwater, 2011

EastEnders' actor Sam Attwater won the coveted prize of first place in 2011 wth his partner Brianne Delcourt, beating TV presenter Laura Hamilton. The pair also returned for the 2014 series, but finished fourth.

Matthew Wolfenden, Dancing On Ice8 of 12
CREDIT: ITV/ Dancing On Ice

Matthew Wolfenden, 2012

Emmerdale actor Matthew Wolfenden won the 2012 series with his professional ice skating partner Nina Ulanova, beating fellow soap star Jorgie Porter to the top. This was also the year that Louie Spence joined the judging panel, if you remember...

Beth Tweddle, Dancing On Ice9 of 12
CREDIT: ITV/ Dancing On Ice

Beth Tweddle, 2013

Olympic champion gymnast Beth Tweddle won the 2013 series alongside her partner Daniel Whiston in his THIRD win on the show. She beat out EastEnders actor Matt Lapinskas and his partner Brianne Delcourt, and came third in the 2014 returners' series with Łukasz Różycki.

Jake Quickenden10 of 12
CREDIT: ITV Pictures

Jake Quickenden, 2018

The X Factor and I'm A Celeb! runner-up Jake Quickenden finally won a reality show when he took part in Dancing On Ice in 2018 with his professional partner Vanessa Bauer, beating Coronation Street's Brooke Vincent - and she was NOT happy.

James Jordan, 201911 of 12
CREDIT: ITV Pictures

James Jordan, 2019

James Jordan and Alexandra Schauman won 2019's trophy despite some fierce competition from Love Island's Wes Nelson and his partner, last year's winning professional Vanessa Bauer.Judges called their rendition of the famous Bolero "the best the show had ever seen" despite the first dance of the final failing to top the leader board. Early on in the 2019 competition, James was criticized for having an unfair advantage over the other contestants because of his extensive dancing experience.

Joe Swash, 202012 of 12
CREDIT: ITV Pictures

Joe Swash, 2020

Joe Swash and Alex Murphy took home the 2020 trophy, despite Diversity's Peri Kiely being the bookies favourite since the beginning of the competition.However, it wasn't all plain sailing for Joe throughout the competition. Not only did he find himself at the bottom of the leaderboard in week three and have an ear infection, he also had to swap professional dance partners after Alexandra Schauman fell and injured herself during rehearsals, forcing her to drop out of the show.

Ian H Watkins
©ITV

In contrast, Dancing on Ice’s BBC rival Strictly continues to feature only opposite-sex couples, despite years of speculation and plenty of LGBTQ+ contestants taking part over its fifteen year legacy.

Fans flocked to Twitter to share their thoughts on the landmark pairing, with one writing, "I am all for @TheMattEvers leading @Ianhwatkins to same sex victory! #TeamSteps #TeamH #DancingOnIce".

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Matt Evers, Gemma Collins
©ITV

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“So #dancingonice are doing the first male pairing?" wrote another. "This is amazing news! Hey #StrictlyComeDancing maybe you need to catch up!!"

One more wrote, "This is amazing news!! About time these type of shows had same sex couples. Well done #dancingonice".

However, not everyone was so excited by the announcement, with one saying "#DancingOnIce @MichaelBarrymore I think I’ll give this a miss this year, for obvious reasons."

Another said, "TV just can't get enough of the minorities nowadays. Pathetic. #pcworld #dancingonice."

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