Footballer and pundit revealed as Dancing On Ice’s 7th contestant
EX-FOOTBALLER Anton Ferdinand will be dusting off his fancy footwork after signing up to Dancing On Ice.
The 39-year-old pundit announced the news on talkSPORT Radio today.
The former QPR star, who shares his kids Flynn, 11, and Lilah, seven, with wife Lucy, said: “I decided to sign up for the show because it’s a challenge first and foremost.
“I’m in a new phase of my life since retiring from football and the one of the things I’ve missed about playing is the structure it gives you.
“Dancing On Ice will give me that focus but I’m also doing it for my daughter because she loves dance and performing arts.
“My son always had my football to shout about so this will give my daughter and me something to share.”
His older brother Rio was one of the first to reply when Anton posted the news on social media, telling fans: “So far out my comfort zone but I’m here for it!! Let’s gooooooooo.”
An excited Rio typed back: “Boooooom!”
Anton, known for his work tackling issues of racism in football, is the seventh celebrity to be announced for the skating series by ITV.
He joins an EastEnders legend, a Traitors finalist, a Corrie favourite, Sir Steve Redgrave, a Towie star and a comedian in the line-up.
Anton most recently played for St Mirren as a centre back before retiring in 2019.
He has also played for teams including West Ham, Queens Park Rangers, Sunderland and Reading.
Now Anton is a broadcaster and pundit, making regular appearances on IMG, Sky Sports, TalkSPORT, and BT Sport.
He also fronted BBC One Documentary, Anton Ferdinand: Football, Racism, and Me.
Ferdinand was at QPR when he was allegedly on the receiving end of racist abuse from Chelsea’s John Terry during a London derby.
Terry refuted the claims and was cleared of them in court.
Speaking about his documentary, Ferdinand said: “I know some people don’t like the fact players and coaches take the knee but for me that’s a positive because it keeps the conversation going.
“It sparks conversations too. A young boy or girl might be watching football and it might be the first time they’ve seen someone take the knee.
“If they ask their parents, ‘Why are they doing that?’, that’s powerful.”
He continued: “We won’t have eradicated racism — not in our lifetime, I don’t think.
“We’re nowhere near where we want to be but there’s less racism on the streets than there used to be.
“I’d like to get to a place, in my lifetime, where racial slurs are no longer used on social media or in the stands, because people no longer feel comfortable to do it there.”
Who won Dancing On Ice?
DANCING On Ice has seen some impressive moves - and equally impressive falls.
The ITV show has run for 16 seasons, with a break from 2014-2018.
Here’s the rundown of all the victors – with one pro skater winning an impressive hat-trick:
Season 1, 2006: Gaynor Faye & Dan Whiston
Season 2, 2007: Kyran Bracken & Melanie Lambert
Season 3, 2008: Suzanne Shaw & Matt Evers
Season 4, 2009: Ray Quinn & Maria Filippov
Season 5, 2010: Hayley Tamaddon & Dan Whiston
Season 6, 2011: Sam Attwater & Brianne Delcourt
Season 7, 2012: Matthew Wolfenden & Nina Ulanova
Season 8, 2013: Beth Tweddle & Dan Whiston
Season 9, 2014 (All Stars): Ray Quinn & Maria Filippov
Season 10, 2018: Jake Quickenden & Vanessa Bauer
Season 11, 2019: James Jordan & Alexandra Schauman
Season 12, 2020: Joe Swash & Alex Murphy
Season 13, 2021: Sonny Jay & Angela Egan
Season 14, 2022: Regan Gascoigne & Karina Manta
Season 15, 2023: Nile Wilson & Olivia Smart
Season 16, 2024: Ryan Thomas and Amani Fancy