Last time we saw him on
our screens, he won the nation's hearts as a shy 16 year-old with a
stammer, singing in the ITV1 talent show Pop Idol. Now, pop
singer Gareth Gates has decided to shelve his music career and try
his hand at ice-skating for the return of the hit ITV1 show Dancing
On Ice.
After losing out to the
now openly gay Will Young during the Pop Idol final in 2002,
Gareth enjoyed a brief period of pop success and has since made
sporadic returns to the limelight including an album release in June
2007. He also starred in the documentary, "Whatever happened
to Gareth Gates?" screened in December 2006.
Despite being off
our screens for some time, the talented singer is still arguably the
most famous face in the celebrity line-up for the ice-dancing show.
"I've always been a hard worker and I always like to put 100 per
cent in. I'm a very competitive person and I thrive under pressure,
so we'll see what happens," he says.
With no real
experience on the ice, Gareth has already found the skating tough.
"I'm really enjoying it which is the main thing, but it's a lot
harder than I thought especially as I've never really skated before.
I've actually impressed myself with how far I've come," he says.
With the basics
under his belt the singer is now knuckling down to a gruelling
training schedule with his partner for the show, Maria Filippov.
"From not being able to do anything now I can sort of hold my
own and actually dance with someone else," he adds.
Determined
not to miss a trick the 23 year-old has already identified his
biggest competition on the rink. After watching some of the other
competitors, Gareth reckons Hollyoaks hottie Chris Fountain is the
favourite to win, although he's determined to focus on his own
performance.
"Once the show
starts, that's when you start to think this is a real competition. My
game plan so far is just to focus on me and what I can do and getting
the best out of me and the best out of the routines," he
says. "We're all on the same level, although Chris is
amazing, but I don't want to start comparing myself."
Gareth's biggest
thrill so far has been working with Olympic champions Torvill and
Dean, and he is still blown away by the talent of these ice-skating
legends.
"When they
demonstrated my first routine to music it was amazing. It really got
me, and I got quite emotional. I almost started to fill up and was
like ‘pull yourself together idiot'," he says.
A further treat could be
in store for the young singer if he manages to survive until the
final skate-off. The remaining three contestants get to perform the
world famous Bolero routine which made Torvill and Dean household
names during the 1980s.
Will Gareth survive to
follow in the famous pair's footsteps or will he, like many others
before him, be cruelly eliminated in the first few weeks? Tune in to
ITV1 5:50pm on Sunday to find out.
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