Former Strictly professional Brendan Cole and figure skater Vanessa Bauer have been announced as the first couple that will partake in Dancing On Ice in the new year.
Taking to his Instagram story, Brendan, 45, shared the exciting news with his thousands of online followers.
Teasing his fans, the star displayed the show’s logo and wrote: “Big reveal…”
In the clip that followed, Brendan appeared with Vanessa on the ice and said: “People, it’s official, I have my new Dancing on Ice professional, it’s Vanessa Bauer.”
Not long after, the pro dancer jumped on Instagram again while sitting at the backseat of a moving car.
(Image: Vanessa Bauer /Instagram)
“And there she is, it’s Vanessa Bauer,” he said.
“I’m so excited to be partnered with her, very, very lucky. She’s an incredible skater and I’ve loved watching her on the show over the years and I’m ecstatic.
“Watch this space people!” he continued, adding: “I think this is going-” but before he could finish his sentence, the video cuts off.
(Image: Vanessa Bauer /Instagram)
Dancing On Ice star Vanessa also revealed the news on her Instagram account by sharing a series of snaps of herself and Brendan together.
She penned: “We’re both incredibly excited about this new partnership and can’t wait to go above and beyond to hopefully deliver some magic on the ice of you!
“Let’s do this partner!”
However, due to her previous track record, some of Vanessa’s followers were fairly shocked by the partnership as they expected her to be with one of the younger celebrities.
(Image: WireImage)
Commenting under post, one fan wrote: “Was expecting you to be matched with one of the younger lads but I’m pleasantly surprised and can’t wait to see this partnership in action!”
While another said: “Definitely not what I was expecting, but so excited to see you too perform.”
Meanwhile a third wished the dancing duo the best of luck: “Soo excited for this partnership now and to see what you can do together, he will only show off your talent even more now. Sending love and good luck!”
Skater Vanessa returned to the popular ITV programme after figure skater Hamish Gaman was let go from the upcoming edition.
The star has since spoken candidly about being sacked and said the producers chose not to bring him back in an effort to freshen up the show.
Hamish said: “I was completely surprised by their decision and I’ve been left confused and struggling to make sense of everything that’s happened.
“Vanessa and I are still skating partners and I’m devastated that we won’t be skating together on the show anymore.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
