Brendan Cole ended up in A&E with concussion after 'Dancing on Ice' fall
Brendan Cole was rushed to A&E after sustaining a head injury during rehearsals for the new series of Dancing On Ice.
The 45-year-old ballroom dancer told the Daily Star he "took my mind off what I was doing for a second" and has no memory of the fall which left him in hospital.
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He said he was "horrified" when he was told about the injury and has since been a lot more careful about the risks he takes during training, including with tiredness.
Cole added: "What happened made me realise you have to be 100% focused when you’re on the ice.
"The moment you switch off, you make silly mistakes. It has been a great learning curve."
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Cole has been paired with professional skater Vanessa Bauer for the show and left her with a cut on the back earlier this week after catching her with a blade in training.
"It’s injuries akimbo. You get skates across your shins, bleeding and bruising," he said.
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Dancing On Ice producers will be hoping the 2022 series does not feature as many injuries as this year's run of the show, which was disrupted by numerous problems — not least several positive COVID-19 tests.
The series came to an end a week earlier than usual after five couples were forced to withdraw over the course of the calamity-hit show.
Cole will be considered one of the frontrunners to win the new series, with Bauer one of the show's most successful professionals thanks to her record of one win, two runner-up spots and a forced withdrawal.
There's also a great recent history for dance pros on the ice, with former Strictly Come Dancing alumnus James Jordan winning the series in 2019 and Diversity's Perri Kiely finishing as runner-up — with Bauer — in 2020.
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This year's line-up includes Love Island favourite Liberty Poole, Coronation Street veteran Sally Dynevor, S Club 7's Rachel Stevens and Bez from the Happy Mondays.
John Barrowman will not return to the show's judging panel when Dancing On Ice hits screens in January 2022, in the wake of the controversy around his historic on-set actions.
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