'Dancing On Ice' Just Revealed Which Love Islander Is Competing In The New Series

It's time to put on a sparkly number and put on some ice skates because ITV has only gone and announced the first two contestants for Dancing On Ice. Sure, there's still a while to wait before the series actually starts airing next January, but the excitement is unreal thanks to this Irish Love Island fave being involved. Yep, that's right, Maura Higgins has been confirmed for Dancing On Ice, and I'm freaking the heck out.

Announced on today's episode of This Morning, Higgins was revealed in a truly fantastic way. Bundled up in some winter gear and positioned inside an inflatable snow globe (no, I'm not kidding), Higgins became the first contestant confirmed for next year's series.

Shortly after, the This Morning then cut to comedian Michael Barrymore via video link to tell presenters Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby that he too would be joining Dancing On Ice 2020 lineup. "I'm delighted to say that I'll be joining the Dancing on Ice line up for 2020. I'm looking forward to meeting Holly and Phil. I'm very excited... it's performance time!"

Described in a press statement sent to Bustle UK, Higgins and Barrymore will be joined by "ten other celebrities" who have yet to be revealed. It seems that the contestants will most likely be announced through This Morning, with the statement also adding that "[f]urther reveals will take place throughout the week". So if you can't wait to see who else will be joining the ice, you better be tuning in religiously for the next few months.

As for how Higgins feels about her next adventure, she's totally down for trying something new. "I've skated twice in my life just for fun, so I've no experience at all," Higgins told the This Morning presenters. Higgins is understandably apprehensive about eventually attempting the Headbanger (how could you not be), but she's "brave and competitive" which she believes will drive her through training and performing.

Schofield also mentioned that none of the contestants have been allocated their partners yet, to which Higgins replied that she needs someone to keep her in line. "Otherwise I'll just throw a strop and lay on the floor."

Since leaving the Love Island villa, Higgins has become a familiar face on This Morning as she officially joined the team at the beginning of August. "I never would have thought that I'd ever get this massive opportunity, and I've watched the show for years. I'm just speechless," she told ITV at the time. Higgins will be following in the footsteps of Love Island winner Kem Cetinay, who was also on Dancing On Ice in 2017 and became a This Morning presenter earlier this year.

With Higgins on board, John Barrowman replacing Jason Gardiner as a judge, and hopefully Cetinay reprising his role as backstage presenter, Dancing On Ice is slowly but surely becoming an extension for This Morning and I'm all for it.

All that's needed now is an appearance from Eamon Holmes, Ruth Langsford, and Rylan Clark and all will be right with the world.