57-year-old Bez and his Dancing On Ice partner Angela Egan danced to Happy Mondays’ 1990 cover of John Kongos’ ‘Step On’ with Bez wearing a melon crash helmet – an overt nod to the song’s “You’re twistin’ my melon, man” lyrics.
With his Happy Mondays’ band mate Shaun Ryder cheering him on in the studio audience, a giant pair of maracas flanked the ice rink, while dancers dressed as giant watermelon slices joined Bez and Angela for the rousing culmination of the performance.
Sadly, the Dancing on Ice judges - Christopher Dean, Jayne Torvill, Oti Mabuse and Ashley Banjo – didn’t give the performance the adulation it deserved and scored Bez 12.5 out of a possible 40, by far the lowest score of the night.
Ever the good sport, Bez quipped: “It’s more than I thought I was going to get!”
Presenter Phillip Schofield replied: “You are the only person we’ve had to send out onto the ice rink with a crash helmet on because we’re protecting your melon, man.”
Alongside still touring with Happy Mondays, Bez has appeared on numerous TV shows in recent years including Celebrity Gogglebox (alongside Shaun Ryder), Bargain Hunt and Celebrity Masterchef.
Fresh from triumphing with James on their UK arena tour shortly before Christmas, Happy Mondays recently announced an extensive tour for October and November 2022. Tickets are on sale from Absolute Radio Tickets now.
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