‘I'M NOT AFRAID OF THE ICE, YOU HAVE TO CHALLENGE YOURSELF'

LORRAINE’S RIA HEBDEN ON WHY SHE’S FACING THE DANGERS OF DANCING ON ICE HEAD ON, AND WHO SHE THINKS COULD BE CROWNED WINNER

- TONY COWELL

After announcing live on air that she’s going to swap the Lorraine sofa for an ice rink for the next series of Dancing On Ice, Ria Hebden has been buzzing with excitement. The presenter is a mega fan of the show, especially when it comes to top judges Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean. Ria, 38, even confessed to us in our exclusive chat that she had a major fangirl moment when she first met them.

Ria, who has been on our TV screens since 2018 when she first appeared on This Morning, is now Lorraine’s resident entertainment editor, bringing us all the juicy celebrity gossip from that iconic sofa every week. She also co-hosts the ITV travel series All Around Britain with Alex Beresford.

Here, the star – who lives in London with her husband Mark and their two children Noah and Lula – tells us the reasons why she’s signed up for Dancing On Ice, what her family think of the danger, and how the nerves won’t hold her back…

Congratulations on Dancing on Ice, are you nervous? Extremely nervous.

Extremely nervous .But it’s one of ITV’s most sparkly shows, and I do love my sparkles, so I couldn’t believe it when they invited me to do it. I feel I’m about to go on this wonderful journey and learn a new skill. So, for me it feels magical, and I know I’m going to fall in love with this programme. Of course there’s an element of danger, but I’m prepared for that and I’m not afraid, because in life you have to try to challenge yourself.