S Club 7 star Rachel Stevens laces up her skates to perform on Dancing on Ice tonight (January 23) with her professional partner Brendyn Hatfield.
She’ll compete against the remaining five contestants yet to skate in the 2022 series – and will be hoping to avoid the skate off.
Given her history as a performer, though, we’re tipping the beautiful singer to go all the way to the final – especially given her admission that she’s very competitive!
Here’s all you need to know about the singing superstar and mum of two.
How did Dancing on Ice star Rachel Stevens get famous?
Rachel shot to fame in the cast of BBC television series Miami 7 in 1999 – the show that spawned pop group S Club 7.
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The singer stayed in the band till 2003, when they went their separate ways.
Rachel went solo, releasing her debut album Funky Dory in 2003.
The band got back together for a reunion tour in 2015 and she’s admitted since she’d “never say never” to another comeback.
How did she do on Strictly Come Dancing?
Rachel took part in the sixth series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2010.
She was paired with pro dancer Vincent Simone and the pair came second.
Surely Rachel and Brendyn will be hoping to go one better on the ice.
Who is Rachel Stevens married to?
Rachel is married to her childhood sweetheart Alex Bourne.
They first met and started dated when they were 12 years old and rekindled their romance as adults.
Speaking about their romance, Rachel said: “We were boyfriend and girlfriend when we were 12. We were boyfriend and girlfriend on and off during our teens until I got into the band, and he went off and did his stuff.”
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She also explained how they got back together.
“We bumped into each other randomly in our late twenties, and at that point I’d sworn off men, but it was really lovely to see him.
“But I was going off to LA at the time, so no, but then we reconnected. We obviously had all of that history and now, the rest is history.”
Indeed… The couple tied the knot in August 2009 and they have two little girls together.
Amelie is 11 and Minnie is seven.
And Rachel said the kids are “beyond excited” to see her compete on the show.
Of Alex, she added: “My husband’s always really supportive.”
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Dancing on Ice star Rachel Stevens’ dating history revealed
Rachel has had one other significant relationship, with former Hollyoaks star Jeremy Edwards.
He proposed to Rachel on Valentine’s Day 2002, just 18 months after they started dating.
However, the couple never made it down the aisle and split in tragic circumstances in early 2004.
At the time, Jeremy was appearing in BBC medical drama Holby City and their romance was rocked by the sudden death of his co-star Laura Sadler.
She was watching the sun rise at her boyfriend’s London home when she plunged off the balcony and fell 40ft to her death.
Crippled with grief, Jeremy turned to alcohol which put a strain on his relationship with Rachel.
He has previously admitted to Heat: “It was a tough time for me. After Laura’s death I got really messed up. I was drinking a hell of a lot and got seriously depressed.
“It really shook me up. Losing such a close friend pushed me off the rails and sadly Rachel got caught up in my mess.
“It was at this point she confronted me about my problems and we agreed to have a break.”
Despite tying to make it work, the couple ended things for good in early 2004.
Before rekindling her romance with her now husband, Rachel was linked to multimillionaire Gavin Dein.
He’s said to have dumped her after feeling fed up of playing second fiddle to her career.
She also dated Oliver Trevena, who previously dated her now friend Denise Van Outen.
What skating experience does Rachel have?
The S Club 7 singer had her own skates when she was a kid and said she got “really into it”.
However, when she stepped back on the ice for the first time she was “definitely wobbly”.
Rachel explained that she’s looking forward to getting “fit and strong” through training with partner Brendyn.
And she said that it’s come at a great time post-lockdown.
“I love the fact that it’s going to get you fit and strong,” she said.
“I feel lucky to be learning a new skill and feel really fortunate to be able to have this opportunity to get fit especially after this last year of no exercise. It will be great to get stuck in.”
Asked if she feels like she has an advantage over the other contestants because of her performing background, Rachel said: “No, I don’t actually.
“It’s a very different type of performance from being on stage on TV as a pop group. Then you add the ice element into it and it’s a whole new ballgame.”
She added: “Before Strictly I’d never danced with a partner, it was always as a group and I’ve never had any formal dance training.
“If anything it’s the opposite because people expect you to know what you are doing but I think we all start at the same place with something like this.”
Dancing on Ice is on tonight (January 23) at 6.30pm on ITV.
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