Coronation Street’s Sam Aston is taking to the rink one on Sunday as he performs in the Dancing on Ice final, however the soap star has addressed rumours of the show ending
Coronation Street star Sam Aston has revealed that his time on Dancing on Ice has boosted his confidence after spending over 20 years on the cobbles – and shared his thoughts on the show’s axing rumours.
The 31-year-old, who has played Chesney Brown on the ITV soap since 2003, said that taking to the ice with professional skater Molly Lanaghan has been a “once in a lifetime experience”.
“I’ve played Chesney for so long in the same job, this has pushed me out of my comfort zone,” he said. “It’s given me a little bit of confidence that I didn’t know I had.”
Sam added that he initially struggled with his nerves and performing on the ice. “At first I was like, ‘Oh no,’ but I’ve actually just leaned into those characters. You get to a point where you just go for it,” he said. “It’s been a proper mad experience.”
Dancing on Ice rumoured to be axed by ITV after this series, however Sam is hoping that another celebrity intake will get the chance to try skating. “It would be a massive shame but obviously the show has been going on for a long time. There’s nothing else like it,” he said.
“If it is the end, what a privilege to have been part of the final series. But I don’t personally see it going anywhere.”
The Coronation Street star will be competing in Sunday’s final alongside Springwatch’s Michaela Strachan and former footballer Anton Ferdinand as the trio perform on the ice for the final time.
While the cast and crew will be celebrating after the final, Sam admitted that he’ll be heading back to his family – wife Briony and their three children. “I’ll be going back to the kids!” he said.
Earlier this month, The Mirror revealed that this weekend’s final could be the last we see of Dancing on Ice, with insiders saying that the show could be axed after low ratings.
“There are very real fears this is the end of the road for Dancing on Ice. It’s had a good run for nearly 20 years and has a very loyal set of viewers who really love it but the sad truth is there’s just not enough of them. We need bums on seats but the ratings have dropped to a point where it’s difficult to justify the cost,” a source said.
Dancing on Ice’s final airs on Sunday at 6:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
