Dancing on Ice relationships: from emotional breakups to happy marriages

With the Dancing on Ice contestants spending so much time training with their professional partners, it comes as no surprise that many relationships have begun on the ice.

For the likes of Brianne Delcourt and Kevin Kilbane, their behind-the-scenes romance led to marriage and a baby, but others haven't been so lucky. Take a look back at what happened to some of these Dancing on Ice couples, from breakups to weddings…

Sylvain Longchambon and Jennifer Metcalfe

Hollyoaks star Jennifer Metcalfe met Sylvain Longchambon when she was partnered with him on DOI in 2011. They are thought to have dated for around a year before Sylvain ended their relationship on Christmas Day.

He went on to date his 2012 celebrity partner, Coronation Street actress Samia Ghadie.

MORE: Celebrities who were forced to quit reality shows because of injuries

Donna Air and James Middleton

Model Donna Air took part in the tenth series of Dancing on Ice in 2017 and was partnered with Mark Hanretty. At the time, she had been dating James Middleton for five years.

James had even previously told the Daily Mail: "I love Donna very much. Marriage is absolutely not something I'm scared of, but it isn’t necessarily the be-all and end-all."

MORE: 17 couples who found love on reality TV shows

However, the couple announced their separation three months into rehearsals for the show. Despite the split, Donna and James remained friends - with James joining the studio audience to support her.

Brianne Delcourt and Kevin Kilbane

Dancing on Ice pro Brianne Delcourt announced her engagement to Kevin Kilbane on 5 February 2020, just four months after they met when they were partnered together on the show.

Proudly showing off her beautiful diamond ring, the 39-year-old wrote: "He was worth the wait. Kev, you've made me the happiest girl in the world. You're my fairytale ending." They have since got married in lockdown and welcome their first child together, a baby girl named Olivia Mai Kilbane!

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Alexander Demetriou and Carlotta Edwards

Skating professionals Alexander Demetriou and Carlotta Edwards parted ways last year after four years of marriage. Alexander was romantically linked to his partner Maura Higgins, but the two have refuted the claims on several occasions. The Love Island beauty is now in a relationship with her co-star Chris Taylor.

GALLERY: Meet the DOI professional skaters

Samia Ghadie and Sylvain Longchambon

Pay attention to this one, because it gets a little bit complicated… When Coronation Street actress Samia Ghadie signed up to Dancing on Ice in 2013, she was dating co-star Will Thorp (after separating from her husband who she shared a daughter with).

Meanwhile, her DOI dance partner Sylvain Longchambon was also dating Hollyoaks star Jennifer Metcalfe who he'd skated on the show with in a previous series - they had even kissed on the ice.

However, Samia and Sylvian broke up with their partners when they started filming the series. By the end of it, they had confirmed a new romance! In fact, the pair went on to get married in 2016 and they now have a son together. 

Danny Young and Brianne Delcourt

Former Coronation Street star Danny Young took part in the fifth series of Dancing on Ice in 2010. He skated with Frankie Poultney and came fifth in the competition. He might not have won the skating contest, but he did win professional skater Brianne's heart.

It was confirmed that they were an item later in the year, and they soon moved in together. However, by the start of the next series the pair had split after Brianne had been training with new partner - EastEnders actor Sam Attwater. They dated for a very short while during the show but didn't pursue a relationship after it ended. Brianne then started a relationship with EastEnders actor Matt Lapinskas a couple of years later before her marriage to Kevin.

MORE: See the Dancing on Ice stars' wedding photos

Brianne Delcourt and Sam Attwater

After Brianne split with Danny, she then started dating her celebrity partner for series six, Sam Attwater.

The Hollyoaks and EastEnders actor and his pro-skating partner announced that they were dating during the show, but many questioned the legitimacy of their relationship after Sam was pictured kissing another contestant. 

The pair, who went on to win the show, didn't pursue a relationship afterwards.

Frankie Poultney and David Seaman

England goalkeeper David Seaman and professional skater Frankie Poultney were paired together on the show in 2008 but both were in marriages at the time. After the show finished, both of their marriages broke down. During the live tour of the show, Frankie and David fell in love, and they went on to get married in 2015. What a happy ending!  

Jake Quickenden and Danielle Fogarty

Reality TV star Jake Quickenden won the tenth series of Dancing on Ice in 2018 with his partner Vanessa Bauer. He started the show while in a relationship with Danielle Fogarty (daughter of Carl Fogarty MBE).

Just a few weeks after he won the competition, the couple split up - despite the fact that Danielle had been cheering him on from the studio audience. Jake later revealed to The Sun that the show's bosses deliberately pair celebrities with skating partners that could get in the way of their relationships.

He said: "They always put you with maybe who you can… maybe you’ll get on, but most people are coupled up and nobody wants to ruin a relationship. But you can see why it might happen, you spend a lot of time with people, dancing and stuff." 

SEE: The Dancing on Ice judges' homes are full of character: John Barrowman, Ashley Banjo, Torvill and Dean

Kem Cetinay and Amber Davies

Love Island 2017 winner Kem Cetinay took part in Dancing on Ice in 2018. He had just left Mallorca with new girlfriend Amber Davies a few months before, but the pair split just before DOI started airing.

Kem came in fourth place and has since taken on reporting duties for the show on This Morning. Speaking about his relationship with Kem on Lorraine, he said: "Amber was my first love. It was me that called it a day, but I think Amber felt the same. Things couldn’t go on the way it was. She will always hold a soft spot for me in my heart."

Matt Lapinskas and Brianne Delcourt

Former EastEnders actor Matt Lapinskas joined Dancing on Ice in 2013 with skating partner Brianne Delcourt. When he started the show, Matt (who played Anthony Moon) was dating co-star Shona McGarty (who continues to play Whitney Dean). The soap stars had been dating for 18 months until they broke up during the series, after Shona had sat in the audience to support Matt. It then transpired that Matt had started dating Brianne!

The skating partners denied it, but Brianne later revealed they had cheated after Matt broke up with her to start another relationship with a theatre actress. The professional skater told The Sun: "Matt has totally betrayed me. He's been nasty and he's lied, when all I’ve done for the last two years is try to help and protect him." She added: "I've stood by and lied for him about when we got together as I loved him and didn’t want to hurt Shona."

Wes Nelson and Megan Barton Hanson

In the 2019 series of Dancing on Ice, former Love Island star Wes Nelson skated into the final with dance partner Vanessa Bauer. Wes had been dating fellow Love Islander Megan Barton Hanson for over six months, but they broke up after the first few weeks of the series.

Prior to the split, Megan had spoken out about Vanessa - who broke up with her own boyfriend just before the show started. In an Instagram post, Megan wrote: "@vanessabauer_skates love that you decide to announce your breakup with your boyfriend on the night of your 1st performance with my boyfriend! You've never reached out to me once or invited me to watch you train, it pained you to introduce yourself to me last night you didn't even look me in the eye LOL hope the tactical breakup got you the headlines you wanted babe @wes.nelson."

Wes and Megan split soon after - but it was all very amicable and Megan even attended the live show to support her ex boyfriend. There are still many rumours surrounding Wes and Vanessa, but he broke down in tears over Megan during the semi-finals show.

SEE: Dancing on Ice stars' wedding and engagement photos: Holly Willoughby, Ashley Banjo & more

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