Jake Quickenden forced to quit Dancing On Ice Xmas special after horror injury
Jake has broken a bone in his neck
He's the King of reality TV, having appeared on the likes of I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, The X Factor and Dancing On Ice, so fans were over the moon when ITV announced that Jake Quickenden would be making his way back to the ice rink for the Dancing On Ice Christmas special.
Jake, who was due to perform alongside former contestants Ray Quinn and Gemma Collins, has taken to his social media accounts to reveal he's been forced to pull out of the show after picking up a horror injury.
Revealing he's broken a bone in his neck, the Hollyoaks actor wrote, 'Absolutely devastated that I have had to pull out of @dancingonice Christmas launch show..... I have broken a bone in my neck and I lost Feeling in my right arm and hand for a few days after the injury, luckily this is improving but I don’t have enough time to heal unfortunately.
'I have to put into perspective that I can’t risk falling and damaging my neck even more, I obviously was so looking forward to dancing again with @vanessabauer_skates and I wanted to take part but the amazing medical team think it’s a risk and I know what I’m like and I put 100% into everything and with ice skating this means I fall a lot and one bad fall could be really really bad!!
'Really gutted but I will support all the amazing people taking part! I’ll be back stronger than ever soon enough and I like a challenge ❤️...... gutted'. sic
Jake, who won the series back in 2018, was due to be reunited with professional skater Vanessa Bauer for the Christmas launch.
Expressing her concern for her former partner, Vanessa commented, 'I was SO looking forward to skating on TV with you again as you’ve been an absolute star in training! ⛸ Health comes first tho so I wish you the fastest healing my champ!'. sic
Professional skater Matt Evers also wrote, 'Jakie.... I’m so sorry to hear this. You had picked up right where you left off. See you soon buddy.... ', with former contestant Cheryl Baker adding, 'Gutted for you, baby 😢'. sic
Check out the full Dancing On Ice 2020 line-up:
Dancing On Ice 2020: Meet the cast
Perri Kiely
Diversity dancer Perri Kiely reunited with his dance-mate Ashely Banjo for Dancing On Ice 2020! He said, "I'm not going to lie, I'm a little bit nervous. I've had a couple of training sessions so far and I'm not going to lie, it's hard. I can stand up on ice and skate about a bit, but technique, it's difficult!"
Of normally being the one to get thrown into the air, Perri said, "Role reversal! I'm pretty sure my job title was to get thrown about. I would love to back flip on ice, imagine how sick that would be! But I said I was going to get on the ice and spin and flip and do this, but I turned up to that first training session and I just wanted to put one foot in front of the other and make sure I don't fall over."
Perri Kiely is paired with Vanessa Bauer
Libby Clegg MBE
Paralympic sprinter Libby Clegg was the eighth confirmed contestant on Dancing On Ice! Confirming the news on Victoria Derbyshire, she said, "After Rio I achieved my ultimate goal and then I thought 'what else can I do?' This opportunity came about and I couldn't pass it up. I love challenging myself and experiencing new things."
Libby Clegg is paired with Mark Hanretty
Joe Swash
Former soap star and King of the Jungle Joe Swash was the ninth celeb to be announced for Dancing On Ice! Confirming the news on Loose Women, Joe said, "I can't even dance on a dance floor so Dancing on Ice is just a silly idea! I've done no exercise since the baby was born. Stacey thinks it's funny. I'm going to learn how to skate and I'll do it with a smile on my face."
Joe Swash is paired with Alexandra Schauman
Although Joe was originally paired with Alexandra Schauman, a nasty injury meant she could no longer continue, meaning Alex Murphy stepped in!
Trisha Goddard
Queen of Daytime TV Trisha Goddard was the first celeb to leave the show! After falling over in her routine, Trisha lost out i the skate-off to newsreader Lucrezia Millarini.
Trisha Goddard is paired with Łukasz Różycki
Lucrezia Millarini
ITV News presenter Lucrezia Millarini was eliminated from the show in Week 3, losing out in the skate-off to former footballer Kevin Kilbane.
Lucrezia Millarini is paired with Brendyn Hatfield
Radzi Chinyanganya
TV presenter Radzi Chinyanganya was drafted in as Michael Barrymore's replacement, but he failed to impress viewers and was eliminated from the show in week 4.
Radzi Chinyanganya is paired with Jessica Hatfield
Kevin Kilbane
Former footballer Kevin Kilbane lost his place on the show in Week 5! But it isn't all bad news... Kevin confirmed he is now dating his skating partner Brianne Delcourt after they met on the show!
Kevin Kilbane is paired with Brianne Delcourt
Caprice
Caprice chose to quit the show in Week 5 after previously parting ways with her partner Hamash Gaman.
Caprice is paired with Hamish Gaman
Ian 'H' Watkins
Steps singer Ian 'H' Watkins and his professional partner Matt Evers were eliminated from the competition in Week 6, following a skate-off with comedian Ben Hanlin.
Ian 'H' Watkins is paired with Matt Evers
Maura Higgins
Love Island star Maura Higgins left the competition in Week 7 after losing out in the skate-off to Libby Clegg.
Maura Higgins is paired with Alexander Demetriou
Lisa George
Coronation Street actress Lisa George lost her place on the show in Week 8, losing out in the skate-off to Libby Clegg.
Lisa George is paired with Tom Naylor
Ben Hanlin is paired with Carlotta Edwards
Ben Hamlin
Magician Ben Hanlin lost his place on the show in the semi-final, losing out in the skate-off to Libby Clegg.
Meanwhile, it's been a traumatic few weeks for Jake, who recently made his debut as hunky builder Woody on Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks.
During a trip to Bali with his girlfriend Sophie, Jake slipped as he jumped into a pool and smacked his head off a step. The reality star was rushed to hospital which resulted in him getting 25 stitches and a number of CT scans and Xrays.
We wish Jake a speedy recovery! ❤️
The Dancing On Ice Christmas special will air on ITV in December.
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