The Traitors star Mollie Pearce has been hailed as “one to watch” after impressing the Dancing On Ice judges with her first performance.
The 22-year-old secured an impressive score of 29.5 out of 40 despite missing four weeks of training after fracturing her left wrist in rehearsals.
Donning a burgundy dress, Pearce performed six lifts with her skating partner Colin Grafton in the routine to Vampire by Olivia Rodrigo including a rotating double stag lift.
After the performance, an emotional Pearce said she was “really nervous” but was “so happy” it went well.
Judge Ashley Banjo said: “I know how much life has changed for you in recent times, and to be out here in week one, and to achieve that on Dancing On Ice is honestly incredible.
“That performance, for me, was all about the potential, not the potential to be good, because you’re already incredible. But the potential, for me, to go all the way to the final, I think you showed so much promise.”
Fellow judge Christopher Dean praised her for skating with “confidence” and “passion”, while Jayne Torvill marked her as “one to watch” as she complimented how Pearce “really lived” the part she was playing.
Pearce was born with no fingers on her right hand, and was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at the age of 11, an autoimmune condition causing inflammation in the large intestine, which led to her having her colon removed.
She has worked as a disability model for the likes of Kurt Geiger, Zalando and Bodyform.
Former Olympic rower Sir Steve Redgrave donned a sailor outfit as he took to the ice to dance to Rock The Boat by The Hues Corporation.
Sir Steve, who took on the challenge to show you can “still have fun” aged 62, received a score of 17.5 out of 40 from the judges.
Dean congratulated him for taking on the challenge at this stage in his life and said he was probably one of the most improved since boot camp.
Fellow judge Oti Mabuse said she “enjoyed” the performance as she thought it was “sweet” and “warm” but wanted him to work on being less dependent on his skating partner Vicky Ogden.
EastEnders star Charlie Brooks transformed into a dancing queen with bouncy curls in a hot pink bedazzled jumpsuit as she made her debut on the show.
The actress, 43, skated to Abba classic Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) alongside professional Eric Radford, performing a rotating lift in stag position in a bid to impress the judges.
She secured a score of 26 out of 40 with Torvill describing it as a “great performance” which she should be proud of, but recommended she works on the landing of her lifts.
Comedian Josh Jones added a touch of humour to his first routine as he started performing to Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake theme before shouting “only joking”.
Jones and his skating partner Tippy Packard then launched into a lively routine to I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ by Scissor Sisters which saw Jones dance solo and perform dips.
The pair picked up a score of 20.5 for their efforts, with Mabuse describing it as a “fun” performance but said he looked unstable on the ice at times.
Last to perform on Sunday was The Only Way Is Essex star Dan Edgar, who picked up a score of 29 for his dramatic routine to Ed Sheeran’s hit Bad Habits.
Donning period dress, the reality TV star impressed the judges by performing two floating cartwheels and a roll up with professional skater Vanessa James Amoros.
Torvill said: “Your skating is so good, so smooth, so strong. I love the way you worked with Vanessa in the routine, and you’re doing some quite difficult lifts there for the first week. What lets it down for me is your connection.”
Dean praised Edgar as probably the “most natural” skater they have ever had but agreed that he wanted to feel the “heart” in the performance.
Dancing On Ice continues on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.
