She followed Louis Smith to glory as the winner of one of our favourite telly shows. Now Beth Tweddle is following Strictly Come Dancing winner Louis on the road.
Fellow Olympian Louis was one of the stars of the Strictly tour and Dancing On Ice champ Beth is sure to be a big draw on a new national tour.
Venue problems meant that, for the first time, there was no official DOI roadshow. But Beth and fellow series stars will be seen after all in Celebrities On Ice.
“I’m really excited and thrilled that we are touring after all,” Beth told The Sunday Post.
“I was a bit worried that I’d skate on the show and that would be it.
“Now I’ve got another thing to focus on.
“And the beauty of this is that I can go and enjoy the tour without the pressure of the competition, which will be really nice.
“I feel that I’ve come so far with my skating that I really want to keep it going for as long as I can.”
The tour also features EastEnders star Matt Lapinskas, who was runner-up to Beth, and Gareth Thomas, who was gutted when illness forced him out at the semi-final stage.
Chico and Kyran Bracken are also on the bill for the show which includes dates in Glasgow this week and Newcastle later in the month. Beth used her gymnastic ability to the fullest on the ITV show, pulling off tricks never before seen on the ice.
And she says that she was delighted to get the chance to show there was another side to her.
“Everyone knows me as a gymnast, focused and ready to perform,” confides Beth.
“But, with the behind the scenes training videos, people got to see my personality.
“They saw that I can laugh and joke and am quite a light-hearted person. I’m happy with the way I came across.
“The funny thing is that I actually had people coming up to me and saying, ‘You’re that ice skater, aren’t you?’
“Considering I’d never skated before the show, that was lovely.”
Despite initial doubts over its future, Dancing On Ice ended on a high and ITV have confirmed it will be back for a new series in January.
Celebrities On Ice is at Braehead Arena on May 3, 4 and 5 and the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle on May 24, 25 and 26.
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