John Barrowman: ‘I’m the nasty brother of the Dancing on Ice family’

He's the new Jason Gardiner

John Barrowman

by heatworld |
Updated on

He’s known for yelling “fab-u-lous!” with unbridled gusto – but make no mistake,John Barrowman’s a tough crowd. And as Dancing on Ice’s newest judge, he’s not about to hand out the high scores willy-nilly. In fact, the legendary entertainer’s got very high standards indeed; and having been a contestant on the show himself 14 years ago, he knows the skates (sorry, stakes) are high.

Speaking to heat, he says he’s going to be “critical” – while also sparing “a bit of compassion”.

“I know they’ll be bricking it when they come through the tunnel, and I know the stress of doing it alongside another job or having kids,” he tells us.

“But at the end of the day, you’re here to do the show – no excuses. Get up on the ice and do it!”

As for settling in on the judging panel, John tells us he’s already bosom buddies with co-judges Jane Torvill, Christopher Dean and Ashley Banjo.

CHECK OUT: The official Dancing On Ice 2020 line-up

Gallery

RADIO Dancing On Ice 2020 confirmed slider

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Maura Higgins

Love Island star Maura Higgins was a huge hit with viewers of the show over the summer, so it's no surprise show bosses wanted to snap her up! She said, "I've skated once in my life for fun, so I've no experience at all. I'm up for the challenge. I'm more excited than scared. I'm competitive so I think that will drive me."

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Michael Barrymore

TV presenter Michael Barrymore is taking part in Dancing On Ice 2020 after a few years out of the limelight! He said, "I'm delighted to say that I'll be joining the Dancing on Ice line up for 2020. I'm looking forward to meeting Holly and Phil. I'm very excited...it's performance time!"

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Kevin Kilbane

Republic of Ireland footballer Kevin Kilbane is the newest addition to the Dancing On Ice line-up! He said, "I am going on as a total novice. I'm starting from scratch here. This is going to be a massive challenge for me. I've been taking it easy for the last few years since I finished (football) so let's just see how this one goes."

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Lucrezia Millarini

ITV News presenter Lucrezia Millarini will be donning some skating boots for Dancing On Ice 2020! She said, "I'm super excited to be joining the line up for DOI! I can't wait to get out there on the ice and start training. While the news agenda is already pretty busy these days, I know life is about to get a lot busier...with a few bruises along the way!"

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Ian 'H' Watkins

Steps superstar H is the fifth celebrity confirmed for Dancing On Ice! Confirming the news to Good Morning Britain, H said, "What am I doing? I have frantically been You Tubing James Jordan and Ray Quinn. I have kids now so it's a skill I can learn and take my kids to the ice. It's scary and exciting and now there's no turning back. I know I'm going to be put through my paces and that's the name of the game."

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Lisa George

Coronation Street star Lisa George will be joining the show! The Beth Tinker actress confirmed the news on Lorraine, saying, "I haven't been on the ice for about 40 years. Yesterday was my first session on the ice. It was good, I really enjoyed it, I did't fall. I was a bit scared, I was quite nervous. I can't believe I'm 50 next year and I just thought 'if I don't do this now I'm never going to have the chance to do it again'."

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Perri Kiely

Diversity dancer Perri Kiely will be reuniting with his dance-mate Ashely Banjo for Dancing On Ice 2020! He said, "I'm not going to lie, I'm a little bit nervous. I've had a couple of training sessions so far and I'm not going to lie, it's hard. I can stand up on ice and skate about a bit, but technique, it's difficult!" Of normally being the one to get thrown into the air, Perri said, "Role reversal! I'm pretty sure my job title was to get thrown about. I would love to back flip on ice, imagine how sick that would be! But I said I was going to get on the ice and spin and flip and do this, but I turned up to that first training session and I just wanted to put one foot in front of the other and make sure I don't fall over."

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Libby Clegg MBE

Paralympic sprinter Libby Clegg is the eighth confirmed contestant on Dancing On Ice! Confirming the news on Victoria Derbyshire, she said, "After Rio I achieved my ultimate goal and then I thought 'what else can I do?' This opportunity came about and I couldn't pass it up. I love challenging myself and experiencing new things."

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Joe Swash

Former soap star and King of the Jungle Joe Swash is the ninth celeb to be announced for Dancing On Ice! Confirming the news on Loose Women, Joe said, "I can't even dance on a dance floor so Dancing on Ice is just a silly idea! I've done no exercise since the baby was born. Stacey thinks it's funny. I'm going to learn how to skate and I'll do it with a smile on my face."

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Ben Hanlin

Magician Ben Hanlin is the 10th celebrity to be confirmed for the ice! He confirmed he'd be attempting to incorporate magic tricks into his performances, and said, "Can I ice skate? Barely. But I did say to the producers, 'If I'm going to do this, can I try to do magic on ice?' I will try and attempt to put magic into the show if I can. We start tomorrow! On the ice for the very first time."

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Trisha Goddard

Queen of Daytime TV Trisha Goddard has confirmed that she's the next celebrity to join the line-up! She said, "I love physical stuff. Every day I bike ride, I weight train, I love any physical thing. I learnt to ski at 37, I learnt to roller blade at 42. I'm 62 in December. I thought 'why not?'"

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Caprice

TV personality Caprice is the final celebrity to join Dancing On Ice for 2020! Announcing the news on Lorraine, Caprice said, "I've got some really big news. I'm going to be on Dancing on Ice 2020! At the moment no nerves. I'm excited more than anything."

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“I’ve slept with all three of them already, all good!” he jokes (we think). “We’re like a new family, who’ve suddenly got their nasty brother back.”

Barrowman previously confirmed the news that he would be replacing judge, Jason Gardiner, in a post on Instagram, which featured him dancing around a swimming pool.

In true John fashion, he told his followers, "Hey everybody, it's John Barrowman here and I've got something super exciting to announce to you. I'm gonna be on Dancing On Ice! Woo! I'm gonna be a judge on the 2020 series of Dancing On Ice."

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