'Dancing On Ice': Rufus Hound calls out Government in 'hungry children' comment as he wins first golden ticket

Dancing On Ice contestant Rufus Hound has made a scathing comment about politicians who “don’t want to feed hungry children” in his debut on the show.

In a Dancing On Ice first, Hound and his skating partner Robin Johnstone won a golden ticket - a new element to the show that sees the judges give a free pass through to the next round to one couple in each of the first two episodes.

Hound appeared to make reference to the row over whether free school meals vouchers would continue to be provided during every school holiday and the recent controversy over the content of meagre food parcels provided to vulnerable children during lockdown.

As he was told he was the unlikely winner of the free pass, he said: “We live in a world where the people we elect don’t want to feed hungry children, this is the least mad thing that has happened to me in a long time.”

The actor had been due to begin work in West End show Everybody’s Talking About Jamie in March, but spoke about being told that the whole of theatreland was closing due to the coronavirus pandemic, explaining that was why he had signed up to Dancing On Ice.

Hound tearfully accepted his golden ticket, saying: “I’ve spent most of this year not being terribly emotionally stable because the world does not make sense, and this does not help make more sense of it.”

Rebekah Vardy also took her chance to make a point in the episode as she alluded to her Wagatha Christie libel case with Coleen Rooney while talking about enjoying her time training for the show.

She said: “The ice, for me, has become this safe zone.

“We’re there having a good time and that’s our focus, it’s not on anything else that’s going on in our personal lives, it’s literally just skating.”

However, it was less of a safe zone for her partner Andy Buchanan, as the footage from their training showed the horrific accident where her skate had sliced his face.

Rapper Lady Leshurr became the first celebrity voted into next week’s skate off, despite not being bottom of the scoreboard.

Elsewhere on the show, Denise Van Outen managed to make her Dancing On Ice debut despite having dislocated her shoulder in a training accident on Thursday.

It had been touch and go whether she would have to drop out of the series altogether, and she made a tentative first performance with a bandage on her shoulder.

Read more: Rebekah Vardy slams partying footballers who break COVID rules

Although there were plenty of falls in training, the only celebrity to fall on the ice this week was Emmerdale actor Joe-Warren Plant, who laughed off taking a tumble in his first routine.

Dancing On Ice will return next Sunday when the remaining six couples will take to the ice for the first time and one of them will skate off against Lady Leshurr.

Watch: Dancing On Ice skater injured in freak accident