DANCING on Ice is poised to hit our screens for another celebrity-packed series.
The show wouldn’t be the same without its band of professional skaters who make the famous faces shine on the ice.
Who are the Dancing on Ice 2021 professional dancers?
Matt Evers
Matt is a Dancing on Ice regular and has been on the show since it launched in 2006.
Matt was born in St Paul, Minnesota, but grew up in North Dakota.
The sportsman specialises in ice skating and became famous by winning the Junior pairs title at the 1998 US Championships.
He then went on to compete in three senior international events, including competitions in Canada and Russia.
After moving to NYC to pursue his showbiz dreams, he worked on Broadway, modelled and picked up the odd acting job here and there.
He made history last year as one half of a same-sex pairing with Ian “H” Watkins.
The US sportsman was married to a woman, but before the 2018 series of Dancing On Ice began, in an issue of Attitude magazine, the skater revealed he is gay.
He said: “I live my life by example, and I want to show young people that what you feel or how you were born isn’t something bad.”
Matt revealed to the Sun about the challenges skating as a same-sex couple.
He said: “There’s a practical difference, parts of his anatomy get in the way in certain moves, on some of the lifts.”
He added: “We’re having to alter the lifts because it’s never been done before.”
Alexandra Schauman
Alex Schauman, 40, is a professional skater from Finland.
She first appeared on Dancing On Ice in 2010 and was paired with Dr Hilary Jones.
Other celebrities she’s skated with are Dominic Cork, Sam Nixon and Todd Carty in the All Stars series.
She’s married to fellow Dancing On Ice pro Lukasz Royzcki.
Lukasz Rozycki
Lukasz Rozycki, 41, first appeared on Dancing On Ice in series six in 2011, partnered with Frank Lampard‘s former fiancee Elen Rivas.
In 2012 he appeared with EastEnders actor Laila Morse, but she sustained a rib injury and therefore the couple finished 15th.
In 2019 he partnered actress Didi Conn and the pair were the third couple eliminated from the competition.
Lukasz partnered TV personality Trisha Goddard in the 2020 show but the couple were voted off in week 2.
In 2021 he is skating with singer Myleene Klass.
Mark Hanretty
Mark is a 35-year-old professional skater and ice dancer from Glasgow.
The Scottish athlete previously represented the United Kingdom internationally.
Together with his partner Christina Chitwood, they won two bronze medals; one in 2008 and the other in 2010.
They also competed at the 2009 European Championships and placed 18th.
Mark is married to skating coach Kathy, with whom he has two children named Lukasz and Liola.
Hamish Gaman
Hamish Gaman is a 37-year-old who began skating in 1998 and is a member of Guildford IFSC in Surrey.
Alongside his skate partner Caitlin Yankowskas, he became the 2015 Challenge Cup silver medallist and 2015 British National champion.
On September 10, 2015, Hamish and Caitlin announced their retirements from competitive figure skating citing lack of funding as the reason.
Hamish had previously partnered with Vanessa James and Rebecca Collett, and had been coached by Bruno Marcotte and choreographed by Julie Marcotte.
He joined Dancing On Ice when it returned to ITV in 2018.
In his first season he was paired with athlete Perri Shakes-Drayton and in 2019 he was partnered with singer Saara Aalto.
Hamish was caught up in controversy in the 2020 series after being paired with Caprice Bourret.
Brendyn Hatfield
Brendyn Hatfield is a 34-year-old professional ice skater.
This is his second time performing on Dancing On Ice, and his partner will be rapper Lady Leshurr, after being paired with with news presenter Lucrezia Millarini last year.
Excited about his debut, Brendyn tweeted: “@dancingonice rehearsals have been a #whirlwind. Loved getting to spend time with such a talented and amazing group of professionals.
“Couldn’t ask for a better group of people to share the ice with.”
Brendyn made his name in Disney on Ice shows, playing the parts of Aladdin and Woody.
As well as a skater, Brendyn has also had jobs as an editor and cinematographer – working on projects including the short film My Name is Tommy.
Vanessa Bauer
Vanessa Putri Bauer is a 24-year-old German dancer, acrobat and ice skater.
She has performed on an ice rink on board one of the biggest luxury cruise ships in the world, HMS Harmony Of The Seas.
As a result, she declares “life is a holiday” – and for her, it literally is.
But maintaining a body that’s strong and agile enough to dance on the ice is no cake walk.
Vanessa was paired with Jake Quickenden for the 2018 series of the show and the duo went on to be crowned the winners.
Andy Buchanan
Andy Buchanan is a Canadian ice dancer from Wabumun, Alberta.
He began figure skating at just seven and went on to become a seven times Western Canadian Champion, including both junior and senior titles, and singles and pairs skating.
He turned professional in 1999 and has played various leading roles for Disney on Ice, including Scar, Simba, Tarzan and Aladdin, with his partner Robin Johnstone as Jasmine.
For Dancing On Ice 2021 he is partnered with Rebekah Vardy.
Andy previously skated with Anthea Turner in2013 and Zaraah Abrahams in 2014.
Robin Johnstone
Robin is a professional ice dancer bailing from Canada.
Born in Steinbach, Manitoba, Robin has been skating since she was just two years old, and decided to go pro when she turned twenty.
She first worked with Toronto Ice Theater, Paramount Canada’s Wonderland and Paramount Kings Island.
Robin then joined Disney on Ice.
She has played Mulan, Jane from Tarzan and Princess Jasmine during her shows with the company.
She has also performed as part of Cirque du Soleil and Holiday on Ice casts.
First appearing on Dancing on Ice back in 2013 and 2014, she is back for 2021, partnering with comedian Rufus Hound.
Robin Johnstone is married to fellow skater Andy Buchanan – and has been for 13 years.
Angela Egan
Angela Egan is a 34 year old professional ice skater from Scotland and a Disney on Ice star.
She works for ITV’s Dancing On Ice and on her social media channel calls herself a “nomad” and “fashion enthusiast”.
While in training with her first ever dance partner on the show, Sonny Jay, she fell on to the ice after a move went wrong.
They were attempting a lift similar to the show’s famous headbanger, but they both ended up hitting the ice.
For the upcoming series she’s been partnered with Sonny Jay.
Klabera Komini
Is the current reigning champion from Dancing On Ice in the Netherlands
In October 2020, ITV announced that Klabera Komini would be a professional skater on Dancing on Ice in the UK for the first time.
She has performed as an ice skater in many roles including with IDI, the company in residence at The Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth in New Hampshire.
Klabera has worked with the Royal Caribbean Ships/Willy Bietak Productions as a principal skater.
Klabera is partnered with Olympic athlete Colin Jackson.
Yebin Mok
Yebin Mok is a 36-year-old American skater.
A member of the UK coaching elite and co-founder of Ice Theatre.
Yebin is married to last year’s professional skater, Doctor and Orthopaedic surgeon Tom Naylor.
She was born in Seoul, South Korea and migrated to the US as a child.
As well as having a successful skating career and competing on Dancing on Ice, she’s co-founded a skate coaching company.
During a freak accident in training, Yebin was injured when her partner Graham Bell’s skate stabbed her in the shin.
The injury left her tendons exposed.
She thankfully didn’t cut through nerves, bone, vessels or tendons – only the muscle.
Karina Manta
Karina will be stepping, or should we say skating, in for DOI pro Yebin Mok after she was badly injured in rehearsals.
Manta is a 24-year-old professional ice skater hailing from Olympia, Washington.
The young skater was partnered with Joe Johnson from 2013 onwards.
The pair have competed in Skate America, the US International Classic, US National Championships and the Midwestern Sectional Championships.
In 2018, Karina told her social media followers that she was bisexual.
Her partner Joe is gay, and the pair became the first openly gay team at the 2019 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
Karina said at the time: “I think this sport is making space for new approaches, new forms of art, new types of people,
“I like to think Joe and I are both trying to keep widening the space in our own ways, alongside so many teams who are pushing our art form in a hundred beautiful ways.”
Joe Johnstone
Joe Johnson is a brand- new face to the Dancing On Ice rink this year.
He has performed with Cirque du Soleil with skating partner Karina Manta in 2019
In October 2018, his partner Karina also came out publicly, and the pair became the first openly gay team at the 2019 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
