Dancing On Ice star Bez cracks his head on rink in horrific skating accident days before launch

Happy Mondays star Bez was left dazed after striking his head on the ground in a nasty fall during Dancing On Ice rehearsals, sending his helmet flying across the rink.

Dramatic footage shows the percussionist, 57, slipping and falling backwards to the ground, prompting his skating partner Angela Egan, 35, to rush over him and tell him: ‘Give yourself a minute.’

After attempting to get up, Bez falls back onto the ice after failing to steady himself after the accident.

Painful: Happy Mondays star Bez, 57, was left dazed after striking his head on the ground in a nasty fall during Dancing On Ice rehearsals, sending his helmet flying across the rink

A show source told the Mirror: ‘It was a terrifying moment and everyone’s hearts were in their mouths when he hit the ground. It goes to show how brutal this programme can be.’

News of Bez’s blunder broke earlier this week after Phillip Schofield spoke of the mishap after seeing it on film.

The television presenter said: ‘You have a rink that is full of essentially blades and we know how dangerous they can be and how deeply they can cut and how sharp they are.

Dramatic footage shows the percussionist slipping and falling backwards to the ground, prompting his skating partner Angela Egan, 35, to rush over to check on him

‘I’ve just watched a video of Bez on his second day fall over backwards so hard that his helmet flew off. Dancing On Ice is really dangerous.

‘They really all risk everything for it. We’ve seen in the past that people do get hurt and of course you want to avoid that at all cost. I think we will be wrapping Bez up in bubble wrap that’s for sure.’

And Bez may have not known what he was letting himself in for as he recently admitted he’d never watched the show before signing up for this year’s series.

Risky business: A show source said: ‘It was a terrifying moment and everyone’s hearts were in their mouths when he hit the ground’

Ouch! After attempting to get up, Bez falls back onto the ice after failing to steady himself after the accident

When he was announced as a contestant on This Morning last year, he told Phil and his co-host Holly Willoughby: ‘How I got picked I don’t know, because I was absolutely awful at the audition.’

He added: ‘I’d never watched it before but I watched a little bit of last year’s because I was thinking of auditioning. I had a quick look to see what it was all about.

‘First of all I’m excited to learn a new skill because at the moment it’s like Bambi on ice rather than skating on ice. And fitness is important to me. I’ve been keeping fit this past year. So this keeps my fitness going and it’s another challenge.’

The show must go on: The new series of Dancing on Ice starts this Sunday at 6.30pm on ITV

When asked if he had prior skating experience, he added: ‘Not really no. A little bit at Christmas time but honestly I’m so bad on the ice.

‘But I can’t wait until the ice rinks are open next Christmas time and I’ve got these fancy Cuban heeled boots.

‘I’ll be on the ice skating backwards, I won’t be holding onto the penguin [stabiliser] any more.’

The accident comes after last year’s series was thrown into chaos when Denise Van Outen, Billie Faiers and Jason Donovan all had to withdraw following injury.

In 2021 contestants were forced to form a ‘bubble’ with their partners due to Covid restrictions and it was filmed without a live audience.

Both reserve contestants had to be used for the first time in the show’s history as three celebrities were forced to withdraw and two tested positive for the virus.

Dangerous: The accident comes after last year’s series was thrown into chaos when Denise van Outen, Billie Faiers and Jason Donovan all had to withdraw following injury

Denise, 47, sustained an injury in the second week after she suffered three bone fractures and a partially dislocated shoulder.

Billie, 31, became the second to withdraw from the competition as she sustained a head injury during training, while Australian actor Jason, 53, was also forced to leave due to a back injury, in week 6 of the show.

The series suffered another blow as comedian Rufus Hound, 42, Joe-Warren Plant, 19 and his professional partner Vanessa Bauer, 25, all contracted Covid-19.

Set to compete on the new series of Dancing On Ice are Love Islander Liberty Poole, 21, BMX Olympic silver medalist Kye Whyte, 22, Paul Gascoigne’s son Regan Gascoigne, 25, The Vamps’ Connor Ball, 25, rugby star Ben Foden, 36, and Paralympian Stef Reid, 37.

Other celebrities taking part include presenter Ria Hebden, 38, pop star and actress Kimberly Wyatt, 39, professional dancer Brendan Cole, 45, and Happy Mondays dancer Bez.

The new series of Dancing on Ice starts this Sunday at 6.30pm on ITV.

Series: Set to compete on the new series of Dancing On Ice are Love Islander Liberty Poole, 21, BMX Olympic silver medalist Kye Whyte, 22 and Paul Gascoigne’s son Regan Gascoigne, 25