14 January 2024 , 14:56
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Hannah Spearritt told pals she was ready to Say Goodbye to Dancing On Ice after the gruelling rehearsals left her in tears.
The former S Club 7 star, who has an auto-immune disease, is said to have been “overwhelmed” by the toll of reaching peak physical condition for the show’s launch tonight.
And although Hannah, 42, kept her concerns quiet, ITV bosses feared she would quit after she missed a series of rehearsals – leaving her lagging behind the rest of the skate stars.
A source said: “Before Christmas, there was a spell where Hannah was missing more than one session a week. Losing those hours has a real impact. She has found the training harder than she expected and, at times, has been in tears. She has confided in pals about her struggle, and told them she wanted to walk away. And while she never voiced this to ITV, the bosses were concerned that she would fall too far behind and pull out altogether. Luckily, she has really rallied since Christmas and now seems in a much better place.”
Hannah is partnered with Andy Buchanan (PA)Hannah was named in the celebrity line-up in September, and the following month, confirmed she was paired with pro Andy Buchanan. Since then, Andy has posted just three training videos of the pair on Instagram – all from November. Hannah herself has not posted a single clip or photo of her time on the ice – instead sharing only a publicity picture and a snap of her with Andy.
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Spearritt was a member of S Club 7 (Ilpo Musto/REX/Shutterstock)The source added: “Dancing On Ice rehearsals are gruelling – much more than people realise – and Hannah won’t be the first to struggle. But everyone’s hoping she can hold it together from here and show off everything she’s learned so far.”
Hannah said this week that the skating had been really positive for her mental health. But she revealed she once nearly injured Andy when her skate came “millimetres” from his ear. And she admitted she had not asked former bandmate Rachel Stevens for advice despite her competing in 2022, saying: “I’m sticking to my own journey.”
A spokeswoman for Hannah said: “Hannah is loving the challenge and her body is feeling fitter from it. She has to be careful because of her immune condition but it’s been just what she needed.”