Dancing on Ice: Coronation Street actress Claire Sweeney confirmed as second contestant after Ricky Hatton

The second celebrity set to take part on popular ITV show Dancing on Ice has been revealed. This comes just a day after former boxing world champion Ricky Hatton was the first contestant named for the upcoming season.

And that celebrity is Claire Sweeney. The current Coronation Street star was revealed to be the next contestant on This Morning, with the Dancing on Ice twitter who said: “It’s showtime Sweeney! Soap Star Claire Sweeney takes to the greatest show on ice in the new year.”

The 52-year-old currently plays Cassie Plummer on Coronation Street, but also previously appeared on Brookside, as well as in several theatre productions, including a West End run of Chicago.

Speaking about her upcoming performance on the show, Claire said she was ‘excited but scared’. She also shared how she goes to Somerset House at Christmas each year and hopes appearing on the show will mean she will no longer need the assistant penguins.

She said: “I’m starting at the bottom. This is a whole new genre…I am stepping into the unknown here”. She also mentioned that whilst she is an experienced dancer, Claire said she didn’t believe it prepared her for skating.

Claire said how her son was so excited to see her perform on the show, and how she was looking forward to getting glammed up for the performances. She will be looking to follow in the footsteps of British gymnast Nile Wilson and professional partner Olivia, who won the show last year.