Dancing On Ice has paired up two male dancers, beating rival Strictly to make TV history.
Steps singer Ian ‘H’ Watkins and pro skater Matt Evers, both 43, will perform together on the upcoming series of DOI.
This follows years of speculation about same-sex couples on dance competitions and will put more pressure on Strictly.
Despite years of debate and speculation, the BBC show chose not to include one this season and has been piped to the telly landmark.
The 43-year-old Steps singer is said to have asked Dancing on Ice chiefs about having a man as a partner on the next series, and the team agreed and became very supportive.
The star will be linked with US pro skater Matt Evers, who has been on the ITV show since 2006.
“After conversations with the Dancing on Ice production team, H enquired as to the possibility of being paired with a male pro skater,” a source revealed.
“Bosses at Dancing on Ice are fully supportive of a same-sex partnership, so this year H will be paired with Matt.
“It’s a huge moment in TV history. A lot of viewers will be watching and the hope is it might set a trend.”
Rival Strictly has been under extra pressure to include a same-sex couple.
A BBC spokesperson previously said it was ‘proud’ to have featured same-sex dancing. “We are completely open to the prospect of same-sex pairings between celebrities and pro dancers in the future, should the opportunity arise.”
Judges Shirley Ballas and Craig Revel Horwood said they will also back it. But former judge Len Goodman said it may spark a backlash from audiences.
“If they do it, there’ll be people saying, ‘I’m not going to watch it anymore’,” he said.
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Replaced!