Yahoo News Is the Dancing on Ice curse real? Here's the proof
ITV bosses are already on the lookout for a fresh batch of celebs to take part in Dancing on Ice 2019. Following the success of January's relaunch series, we doubt they'll have much of a task on their hands – our favourite stars are no doubt itching to sign up.
But before they get on the phone to their agents demanding to get right on the rink, they may want to think twice if they're in a relationship as we've noticed a bit of a pattern.
A fair few celebs who signed up for the series while in a loving, committed relationship, were suddenly no longer in them just a few months later. Coincidence? Hmm...
Everyone's heard about the infamous Strictly curse, but we have our suspicions that the Dancing on Ice curse might be worse. Last series alone, the ITV reboot claimed three happy relationships – that's a quarter of its participants breaking up with their partners off the back of the show. Could the 2019 series do even more damage?
Think we're over-reacting? Let's look at the evidence…
1. Jake Quickenden and Danielle Fogarty
At the beginning of his Dancing on Ice journey, Jake was engaged to superbike star Carl Fogarty's daughter, Danielle. The pair were ridiculously loved-up and, in the lead-up to his big win, the star opened up about his wedding plans and even hinted their first dance might be on ice.
But then, just weeks after he was crowned DoI champion, the pair called off their engagement and announced they had split up. Neither has confirmed why they parted ways. So obviously, we're blaming the curse.
2. Kem Cetinay and Amber Davies
Poor Kem and Amber, who naively laughed off the thought of a Dancing on Ice curse last year.
"There's nothing to worry about, he's punching anyway," she told OK! Online. "He'd be silly to go off with someone else."
A few weeks later, boom: Love Island's golden couple announced that their romance was over.
Fellow islander Alex Bowen spoke out at the time and suggested Dancing on Ice could very well be to blame. "The fact Kem got Dancing on Ice, that will be taking up a lot of his time," he told the Daily Star. "They get on but they don't have time for each other."
See what we mean?
3. Donna Air and James Middleton
TV presenter Donna had been dating the Duchess of Cambridge's brother for five years when she decided to take part in DoI. That's a pretty long relationship in the showbiz industry, so nobody was worried about these two – but oh, how they should have been.
Three month into rehearsals for the show, the couple decided to break up for good. Donna didn't explain why they split but did say they remain the "very best of friends" despite the fact she'd already moved on with new man, property developer Ben Carrington.
4. Samia Ghadie and Will Thorp
Well, this one was a little awkward.
Will walked out on his wife Samantha to be with Samia, who ended her five-year marriage to property developer Matthew Smith to be with him. Despite this tricky start to the relationship, the two Corrie stars seemed pretty serious about each other. But then she signed up for Dancing on Ice and it was game over...
Unlike the other examples, we have a pretty good idea why this couple parted ways. We know this because Samia is now married to her skate partner Sylvain Longchambon and the pair are proud parents to their gorgeous son Yves Joseph.
5. Jennifer Metcalfe and Sylvain Longchambon
Speaking of which, it wasn't just Samia who was taken when she and Sylvain met. He was also in a relationship with Hollyoaks actress Jennifer Metcalfe.
Poor Jen was left heartbroken when Sylvain dumped her on Christmas Day and told her that he had feelings for his new dance partner.
"It's like death," she told The Sun on Sunday. "I felt gutted. It was the worst Christmas ever."
Ouch.
6. Beth Tweddle and Steven Cryer
Retired British gymnast Beth won Dancing on Ice back in 2013 and appeared to love every minute on the show. However, she didn't want to carry on sharing the ride with her then boyfriend of three years, Steve Cryer.
He later revealed she dumped him by text midway through the series, leaving him devastated.Why, you ask? He told The Sun on Sunday the show was to blame.
"I think fame has gone to Beth's head," said Steve. "But when the show ends and the bubble bursts, she'll come down to Earth with a bang. There will be no Olympics, no Dancing On Ice and I won't be there. It will just be a void."
They never got back together.
7. Danny Young and Brianne Delcourt
Dancer Brianne and former Coronation Street actor Danny met while competing with other people on Dancing on Ice and fell head over heels for each other. While the future looked bright for the young couple, cracks started to appear when she started rehearsals for the following series, which he, of course, wasn't part of.
Just a short while later, the former Corrie star announced that the romance was over. Brianne then announced that she'd started a new relationship with another Dancing on Ice contestant...
8. Sam Attwater and Brianne Delcourt
Weeks after calling off her relationship with Danny, news broke that Brianne had moved on with EastEnders star Sam. Viewers loved watching their chemistry on and off screen and genuinely thought this could be the real deal.
However, not long after the relationship helped the pair to win the series, they conveniently broke up, leading some to speculate that the romance was a big fake. Sam strongly denied the claims and insisted they were together. So was the DoI curse really to blame here?
9. Matt Lapinskas and Brianne Delcourt
Yet more soapy goings on. Matt was dating his EastEnders co-star Shona McGarty when he signed up for DoI. She was even spotted cheering him on in the audience as he took to the ice with partner Brianne. But a few weeks later, he broke her heart by ending their relationship seemingly out of the blue.
Shortly after, he started dating Brianne.
At the time, he strongly denied there was any cross-over between the two. However, Brianne has since spoken out and claimed that Matt did cheat on Shona. She told The Sun on Sunday: "He pursed me behind Shona's back. Lots of people warned me but I didn't listen. I've stood by and lied for him about when we got together as I loved him and didn't want to hurt Shona."
Brianne and Matt are no longer together thought of course – the Dancing on Ice curse saw to that!
Dancing on Ice returns to ITV in January 2019.
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