News / Mollie Pearce
Mollie Pearce gets her skates on for Dancing on Ice
Just a year ago, Mollie Pearce was working as a healthcare assistant in Bristol, but after finishing as runner-up on The Traitors, the 22-year-old has been catapulted into celebrity.
She has recently been recruited for this year’s series of Dancing on Ice which starts on Sunday on ITV1 and ITVX.
Mollie told Bristol24/7 that training has been a roller-coaster: “It’s been very up and down and I think it’s such a challenging and rewarding thing.
is needed now More than ever
“As the shows are approaching, I am feeling nervous. I am excited but it’s kind of a mixture of everything.”
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The model and disability activist says the rehearsal process has been far from smooth sailing.
After fracturing her left wrist, Mollie and her partner, Colin Grafton, had to take a month off the ice, rehearsing in studios in front of mirrors.
“It was good to have the mirrors there but obviously it is very different being on the floor than it is being on the ice and I think I just felt like I was getting left behind, but we’ve come back and we’ve worked really, really hard.
“I think it’s given us that extra push.”
Mollie emphasised how grateful she is for Colin: “He’s the best. I feel like we’ve got such a solid partnership, and we’ve got a really nice balance between that friendship off ice and then on ice.
“He’s so good as a friend but also as a coach. And I’m a very visual learning and he’s great at that. I definitely have the best partner.”
Colin even met Mollie’s family a couple of times; going out for dinner and taking Mollie’s mum for a spin on the ice which “she absolutely loved”.
Mollie has never done anything like this before. “I’m not a skater, I didn’t have an athletic job or anything like that,” she said.
“A lot of people say focus on your breath and things like that.
“For me, it’s my jelly legs. When I get nervous, I get jelly legs and that’s no good to skate with, so I need to try and control the nerves.”
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Alongside her own enjoyment of the show, Mollie has spoken candidly about the importance of disability awareness within society and representation of disabilities on our screens.
Mollie was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at the age of 11, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes inflammation and ulcers in the colon and rectum.
She underwent surgery for it at the age of 18, and was fitted with a stoma bag.
She was also born with a limb difference on her right hand and has spoken about living with both a visible and invisible disability.
“The response I had from The Traitors just shows how much it means to people to feel represented on the TV.”
She adds that she was inspired by DJ Adele Robert, who also wears a stoma bag, gracing the ice on last year’s Dancing on Ice.
“For people who might have surgery coming up or they might need it in the future, it gives them that realisation that it’s not the end of your life – it can be start.
“It’s not going to stop you from doing anything. I’m going to be out on the ice skating, doing lifts with Colin, in outfits that I would never have thought I’d be able to wear when I was on my surgery bed.
“So, I want to change the outlook on [stomas] really and make people realise they’re not a taboo subject and they can be a positive thing.”
Mollie Pearce was a finalist on season two of The Traitors in 2024 – photo: The Traitors
For fans of The Traitors who are wondering if Mollie is squeezing in episodes between training, she is watching it all.
She said: “I’m really enjoying it. It’s nice to be sat on the sofa with no stress and anxiety.
“I’m looking forward to seeing where is goes because I think obviously it’s so early at the moment, it could be anyone’s game.
“I think Minah Shannon, the traitor, is amazing.
“ I think the faithfuls just need to start working together a little bit more, but obviously no-one is trusting anyone – which is good. Not making the same mistake, I did!
“It’s kind of hard to place yourself there now I think.”
“This year has just changed my life so much. It’s nice to look back and see where it started – where the madness started, it’s all very exciting.”
Main photo: REX
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