Taking part in Dancing On Ice is more than just a job as far as Michelle Heaton is concerned. After battling three dark, destructive years of alcohol addiction that almost tore her family apart, the former Liberty X singer reveals she wept with gratitude when she got the call from ITV bosses – and was comforted by her daughter Faith at their Hertfordshire home.
Speaking to OK! alongside husband Hugh Hanley ahead of the second live show, she says, “It was a very intense couple of days waiting for the call. I had no idea whether it would be me or someone else.
“My daughter Faith and her friends were in the living room. I took the call from my agent, Ali, and went into the utility room. Faith followed me and I started to cry. She looked at me and said, ‘Oh no, haven’t you got it?’ and I was like, ‘No, Mummy’s got it.’ She started to cry with me and hugged me quietly because she knew she couldn’t tell her friends.
“It was just this overwhelming sense of gratitude. A few years ago I was considered for Dancing On Ice and was gutted that I wasn’t chosen. Obviously, I understand now why it wasn’t the right time.”
Michelle, who also has an eight-year-old son, AJ, with Hugh, hit rock bottom in January 2020 when she was drinking up to a bottle of vodka and two bottles of wine a day, and snorting cocaine. It was a terrifying climax to becoming dependent on alcohol while suffering from hormonal depression after a hysterectomy. The operation, to reduce her risk of breast and ovarian cancers after learning she carries the mutated BRCA2 gene, also triggered her early menopause at the age of 34.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 23, 2023 من OK! UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 23, 2023 من OK! UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
A CITY OF TWO HALVES
There's a holiday for every budget to be found in Dubai, as OK!'s Faith Richardson discovered
'Christmas is a double whammy'
Chef James Martin on the pressures of dividing his time between his restaurants and his family over the festivities
LEARN HOW TO PLEASE YOURSELF
The festive season can be an incredibly stressful time, particularly for people-pleasers who struggle to put their own needs first
'There's a bit of faking it until you make it'
Actor Paul Mescal on entering the Gladiator II arena, building a blockbuster body for his role as fighter Lucius Verus, and heading up an A-list cast of Hollywood's finest stars
THE A-LIST HAIL HOLLYWOOD'S BIG HITTERS
A line-up of the film world's best-known faces attended this year's Governors Awards to celebrate lifetime achievements
'I think we arrived right on time'
The stars of the long-awaited film Wicked, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, tell us why its themes are so relevant right now and why the musical is so dear to their hearts
'No one knows who I am'
Having first found fame on social media, GK Barry has become the breakout star of this year's I'm A Celebrity
'I still pinch myself about how we met'
Now legally married, MAFS Uk’s Adam and Tayah Aveling are looking forward to Christmas with their daughter and welcoming baby number two in 2025
THE ROYAL WEEK
It was a sad week for Queen Camilla, but a good week for the royal family’s charities with visits to hospitals and homeless centres
WILLIAM AND KATE'S MAGICAL CHRISTMAS
After a challenging year for the royal family, the Prince and Princess of Wales plan to give their children an unforgettable time filled with fun and festivities
