Dancing On Ice star in tears just hours before show over family heartbreak
A Dancing On Ice star suffered a secret family heartbreak just before the first live show.
Professional ice skater Colin Grafton, 32, was in tears ahead of heading onto the rink with soap star Claire Sweeney. He had a very emotional call with his family on Sunday evening following the news his dad had suffered a stroke. Colin's dad Roy had the unexpected stroke on Wednesday 10 January.
His family have been said to have been unsure if Roy would be able to walk or talk again. He had two surgeries on the brain following the stroke. Claire is said to have been "incredibly supportive" to Colin following the news. Colin and Claire did not perform on Sunday and will do their first routine this weekend.
Colin is partnered with Claire Sweeney (WireImage)
The ice skater had an emotional call just before the live show (WireImage)A TV insider told The Sun: “On the night of the first show of Dancing on Ice, Colin's mum called him and to his surprise his dad was able to construct a few words and communicate to Claire and Colin to have a good show, saying "go get it". This was very emotional for Claire and Colin before the show, bringing tears to all, and the wardrobe who was getting them in the dressing room. It was just moments before the first live show, which thankfully they were not competing in.”
Following his dad’s stroke, Colin shared a picture of his father on social media. Alongside the snap, he wrote: “Love you Dad! You're a fighter. Xo” Colin, who has competed at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in the past, has already been branded as "relentless" by Claire. The 52-year-old soap actress is one of the twelve original contestants on season sixteen of ITV’s long-running winter sports competition. Colin takes the sport incredibly seriously and has not allowed Claire to slack off during their training sessions.
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Claire has claimed that her professional skate partner won’t even allow her a toilet break as they perfect their moves on the rink. In an appearance on This Morning, she said: "He's very patient Colin. He is lovely and so patient and kind. He is relentless though. He doesn't give me a minute. Even when I want to shoot to the toilet he's looking at me going 'You're lying.' And I am a bit, but..."
Colin shared a photo of his dad following the news (X/@Colin Grafton)The star also fears that she won’t be able to act her way out of a bad routine however long she ends up taking part in the show. She said: "I've spent years faking it from the waist up. I was never a great dancer but I could make really nice shapes. You can't do that on the ice. You can make a nice shape but if your feet are not doing very good at the bottom, you're in trouble."
Claire continued: "I've done as much as I can, but... I was glad I stood and watched last night. I don't know if you've ever got that feeling when you wake up of a morning and think, 'Don't make me do it.' And you want to get back under the covers. And I woke up yesterday and I thought 'I feel alright.' But I still got nervous, I was glad I had a week just to watch.” She added: “But then if I do get through it gives me less than a week to work on my next routine."
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