Phillip Schofield has said he expects a more competitive Gemma Collins to appear on Dancing On Ice instead of the “quitter” he has seen on other shows.
The presenter is returning to host the ITV dance show alongside Holly Willoughby in the new year, and is intrigued by Collins’ chances in the competition.
Schofield has admitted he told The Only Way Is Essex star that it would be a “miracle” if she managed to make the first show.
The presenter believes that the British public will be tuning in to follow the fortunes of Collins as she attempts to skate her way to success, and thinks she will be more determined than in other shows.
Collins left the I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here jungle after just a short time on the show, and Schofield is hoping to see another side to the diva.
He said: “I think the nation is intrigued to see Gemma. Now we know who she is partnered up with and Matt [Evers] will be absolutely brilliant with her. I’ve said it to Gemma, ‘if you make the first show it’ll be a miracle’ and she does seem very committed.
“We all know Gemma for being a bit of a quitter so I’m hoping she’ll be there for that first show.”
Schofield has commented on the talents of the reality TV star, and revealed that Collins is a better dancer than expected.
He said: “I think she’ll be actually very good! I think she is surprisingly good, so I think that would be great to see.”
Now presenting a successful series, Schofield said that he was nervous when the show first began, and feared there was no audience for another dance show.
He said: “I was nervous because no one had any idea whether there was an appetite for it, until we got the figures the next day. None of us could believe how many people had watched it. We didn’t know we had a hit on our hands.”
Collins and her partner will be one of the first set of dancers to open the show on January 6 at 6pm.
The other couples are:
Didi Conn and Lukasz Rozycki
James Jordan and Alexandra Schauman
Jane Danson and Sylvain Longchambon
Mark Little and Brianne Delcourt
Saara Aalto and Hamish Gaman