Matt Richardson, 29, has officially replaced Rufus Hound, 41, on the ITV talent show Dancing On Ice after he tested positive for coronavirus.
The former Xtra Factor presenter was thrilled when he got the news, breaking his silence with a hilarious video of him practicing his skating skills on Instagram.
“Is that… is that Christopher Dean? No, just me guys being so amazing,” he quipped. “This is good enough to be on the show in 3 days, right? @dancingonice”
Matt certainly has the personality to win over the hearts of the public, but whether he can wow Olympic ice skaters Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean remains to be seen.
Behind the scenes, Matt is happily shacked up with his supermodel girlfriend Sam Rollinson, 26, in their plush London flat.
The pair have been together since 2015, but before that, the comic wasn’t afraid to talk about his love life disasters in his shows, notably being cheated on repeatedly by one star.
Here’s everything you need to know about the new contestant’s love life.
Matt Richardson has replaced Rufus Hound on Dancing On Ice
Matt and Made in Chelsea star Ashley, 33, broke up in 2014 after a brief romance.
The couple enjoyed a relatively run-of-the-mill relationship, and are still on speaking terms now, but due to an awkward case of misunderstanding, their amicable break-up quickly blew up.
It all began when Matt joked about one of his exes cheating on him at a show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival that year.
He claimed he’d confronted the woman in question over cheating on him with a “hipster”, to which she replied she wanted to have an open relationship.
During the same show, Matt also slated the ex’s new beau, and did not hold back.
“This guy is one of those people who is gluten free, dairy free, all these tattoos up his neck that look like your nan’s carpet, with a man bun,” he told the audience with no remorse.
Ashley James and Matt Richardson briefly dated in 2014
Unfortunately, due to his relationship with Ashley only ending months earlier, fans, audience-goers and the media alike took Matt’s comments to mean he was referring to Ashley.
A spokesperson for the reality star refuted the claims at the time, saying: “Ashley was surprised to see her name associated with the story as she’s definitely not the ex that Matt is ‘joking’ about.
“They are on good terms so of course have been in touch regarding this, and are mortified that there has been insinuation that the material referencing exes is in any way about Ashley.”
Later on, The Sun also sought to clarify the situation with Matt, who confirmed once and for all he’d been talking about someone else.
“No, it’s another girl,” he told the publication. “My relationship with Ashley was no walk in the park. Maybe she cheated, who knows?
“But it’s annoying people assume it’s her and it ends up in the papers. We talk, but we’re not mates, we’re respectful,” the star explained.
Ashley James attended Caroline Flack’s birthday party in Mayfair, London
Despite the drama, Matt’s next relationship has been a very different story, and he and model girlfriend Sam appear to be very much loved-up even now.
The presenter often talks about his lady in his stand-up comedy shows, and has joked in the past that he feels bad for Sam as a result.
He told The Sun that while partners of singers expect their other halves to write love songs about them, unfortunately dating a comedian means they should expect all the embarrassing facets of their relationship to end up coming out onstage.
Matt has even referred to a hilarious incident when he helped his model girlfriend remove her tampon because she was too drunk.
But it doesn’t seem like Sam minds her boyfriend’s antics too much, as the gorgeous couple continue their lives together.
Matt Richardson and Sam Rollinson have been in a relationship since 2015
Gushing about their relationship, Matt said: “In fashion, Sam is mega-famous, but I’m not in that world so it’s just dead normal really.
“She’s amazing. She’s the best human being I’ve ever met. She’s super-northern and down to earth,” he told The Sun.
The former Xtra Factor host went on to share why he was reluctant to move in with Sam after his relationship with Ashley ended.
He and Ashley moved in together after just two months, and the pair saw it break down incredibly prematurely.
Matt and Sam decided to wait until the two and a half year mark, and the pair still reside in their spacious London pad today.
Featuring an opulent velvet sofa, contrasting metals and lots of unusual patterns in furnishings in their pad, the duo seem perfectly matched and even share a beautiful tabby cat called Achilles together.
Sam regularly shares videos doing yoga in their lounge, so fans can easily take a peek into the couple’s lifestyle.
Matt Richardson is well-known for being a presenter of The Xtra Factor
While Matt seems to be happier than ever settled into his life with the beautiful brunette, he’s certainly a bit of a dark horse.
Once asked whether he was a member of the mile-high club, Matt told The Sun: “No. Well, not with another person! So I suppose I’m a member of the half-a-mile-high club.
“I was coming back from Australia and it was really boring and far…” he added.
Matt Richardson and Caroline Flack were good friends as well as colleagues
The star also had a close working relationship and friendship with the late Love Island presenter Caroline Flack.
He once shared how he, Sam and Caroline often went out together and hung out, as the trio got on really well.
“I like being her friend better than working with her because that kind of show is quite stressful – now we don’t have that pressure,” he added.
When Matt first graces screens tonight, viewers can likely expect to see a contestant who won’t take himself too seriously on the ice. But can he go all the way to the final?
Dancing On Ice airs tonight at 6pm on ITV.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
