Dancing On Ice: Nile Wilson introduces Sheffield-based figure skater Olivia Smart to gymnastics teammates

Reality TV enthusiasts are set to replace evenings spent watching Strictly Come Dancing and ITV’s I’m A Celeb with the new series of Dancing On Ice.

Ahead of the show’s launch in January, Olympic gymnast Nile Wilson revealed that he has already started training with professional figure skater Olivia Smart, 25, from Sheffield.

Nile, 26, from Leeds, rose to fame when he won a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro when he was just 20 years old.

The bronze medal winner shared a sweet video with his 1.56 million YouTube subscribers capturing the moment his teammates met his skating partner Olivia.

The 2023 series of Dancing On Ice starts in January with Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield hosting. Among the confirmed celebrities are EastEnders favourite Patsy Palmer, ex-footballer John Fashanu and Love Island winner Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu.

Nile appeared visibly excited about the competition in his YouTube video as he spoke to his friends.

Nile said: “I’m ice skating now, I’ve got a partner, do you wanna meet her?”

Olivia twirled as she walked into the room, saying: “I’m Olivia Smart, from Sheffield Yorkshire girl at heart but I did represent Spain in the Olympics so…. Spanish”.

The pair described themselves as the Dancing on Ice “dream team 2023”.

“You better vote for us,” Olivia told viewers.

Over 180,000 peole have watched the vlog, with many commenting about how excited they are about the duo.

One wrote:” Very very happy for Olivia that she found something she looks genuinely excited about while she searches for a new partner and her next steps in the competitive ice dance world. She’s mega talented and she’s got a gift for capturing an audience.”

Another said: “So happy you got Olivia! Her zorro program was one of my favourite last year and was so sad that her partner retired! So glad she has found something to carry on skating with”.

A third added: “You've got a great partner in Olivia! You're really lucky! 👏🏻 Definitely an advantage for you 😉🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿⛸️”

This will be Olivia’s debut on Dancing on Ice in the professional line up, having recently got back from competing in the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022.

Olympian Nile owns his own gymnasium ‘Nile Wilson Gymnastics’ in Rotheram and Leeds where kids as young as five can join.