Taking to the ice in the first episode of the 2023 series of Dancing on Ice, you can read everything you need to know about the show here, is Michelle Heaton. During her career Michelle has faced health and addiction battles.
Michelle, who is 43 years old, was born in Gateshead and she rose to fame on the 2001 series Popstars, which sought to form a modern pop group. Although she was not part of the winning group, Michelle and four other finalists formed the band Liberty X.
The group enjoyed seven top ten singles from 2001 until 2005 including Just A Little and Got To Have Your Love, and won two Brit Awards. In 2007 the band split up and Michelle has remained in the public eye.
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The star has widely documented her battle with her health having been diagnosed with the mutated BRCA2 gene in 2012. In 2015 she underwent a complete hysterectomy and oophorectomy to reduce her risk of developing ovarian cancer.
Michelle has also spoken publicly about her alcohol addiction and recently shared personal photos of her in the hospital as a result of the addiction. In early 2021, Michelle bravely checked into rehab to fight her alcoholism, after admitting that it took time for her to come to terms with the fact that she had a problem.
In an emotional interview with Lorraine Kelly on Lorraine Michelle said the addition became worse during lockdown. She said: “I was in trouble with addictions many years ago. It got worse over lockdown. I was able to hide it because of the lockdown...I lost complete control and was completely powerless to alcohol. I don’t know when or how it happened but at some point it did. I couldn’t breathe without drinking. I couldn’t get out of bed. I was, unfortunately, on the way to dying. My liver was packing in and my pancreas doesn’t work anymore.”
Throughout her career, Michelle has also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother and The Real Full Monty. In 2006 Michelle married singer Andy Scott-Lee, the brother of Steps star Lisa Scott-Lee, and they split in 2008.
She is now married to Hugh Hanley, who she married in 2010 in the Bahamas. They had their first child Faith in January 2012 and their second child, a son called Aaron who was born in February 2014. Hugh has supported Michelle throughout her alcohol addiction.
Dancing on Ice begins on Sunday, January 15 at 6.30pm on ITV1.
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