Dancing on Ice’s newest cast member Molly Lanaghan may be teaching Sam Aston how to skate, however it’s the Corrie star who has taken UK newbie Molly under his wing. The 25-year-old uprooted her life in Canada for the ITV show after ending a seven-year relationship, returning to family in Doncaster where she was originally born.
“In October when training for the series started, I moved back,” Molly, who left the UK for her professional skating career nearly ten years ago, told The Mirror in an exclusive chat. “It’s nice to be back home.”. The figure skater swapped the Canadian National Skating Championships for Dancing on Ice last year, being paired with soap star Sam. Despite starting again in Doncaster, Molly shares that Sam and his family - wife Briony and their three kids - have been incredibly welcoming.
“I met Sam’s wife and kids. They’re lovely,” she smiled. “We’ve had Sunday dinners together and I also met some of his siblings. He is one of nine - he has a big family!”. The ITV competition has proved to be a good distraction for Molly, who split from boyfriend and professional partner Dmitre Razgulajevs last January. “My last relationship was with my last skating partner,” she revealed. “That was a long seven-year relationship and when we finished skating together, we ended our relationship.
“I’m out of that and now in the show - I just wanted to focus on it and live in the moment. I’m really lucky that I can focus on myself right now.”. Despite putting her career first, Molly admits that she’s “always” open to looking for romance. “I’m a lover!” she said. Molly embraced this new chapter of her life with a completely new look - dying her hair pink permanently after dabbling with it in the past. “I’ve always been a pink sparkly girly-girl and I dyed my hair pink during competition off-season,” she said.
“When I was talking to Dancing on Ice producers about joining the show, I had blonde hair and they said, ‘Would you be interested in going back to pink hair?’ I was like, ‘Of course, I love my pink!’ I find it so fun.”. Growing up in Doncaster, Molly admits that it was Dancing on Ice that inspired her to begin skating. “When I was six, I watched the show and after the first two seasons, I started skating lessons so this feels full circle. It’s a dream come true,” she said.
At the age of 14, Molly was home-schooled to allow her to train more before moving to North America and eventually Canada to live full time. Throughout her career, she’s kept in touch with Dancing on Ice pro Mark Hanretty, who is partnered with Michaela Strachan on this year’s series.
“When I first started skating, Mark trained in my rink. He then coached me on the ice, did choreography for my first British championship,” she revealed. “When I competed for Canada, he did the commentary during my Grand Prix series. “Now he’s my professional skating partner so we have a long 20 years of knowing each other. He’s good at keeping me grounded on the ice.”.
While entering the TV world of Dancing on Ice can be overwhelming, Molly is set to go far in the competition with Sam - who was the bookies’ early favourite to win ahead of the show. “People came up to us to say hi and one person said, ‘I put money on you to win!’” she laughed. “He’s not letting the pressure get to him. He’s focusing on having a good time and just being present in the moment.”.
As for what the Chesney Brown actor is like on the ice, Molly revealed that he’s a “daredevil” in the rink. “He just threw himself straight in,” she said. “He’s very brave. He’s not scared to try anything. “The only time he’s more cautious is whenever he’s lifting me, because obviously it’s my life. Both of us are at risk of being injured. But he drives motorcycles - he has that fearless side to him for sure, which helps with this process.”.
Off the ice, Sam and Molly have forged a strong friendship. “I knew who he was before the show. I’m not a diehard Corrie fan but I watched it growing up,” she said. “He’s so nice, honestly the sweetest, nicest guy and anyone who meets him says the same. We’ve built a nice friendship from the get-go, so we have a laugh together the whole time.”.
With Sam entering his 22nd year on Coronation Street, Molly is eyeing up a cameo for herself on the ITV soap. “We did meet on the set - that was where we had our first meeting so I’m sure in the future I’ll be back,” she teased. “I’ve asked for a cameo. I said, ‘Can you put me in the back drinking coffee?’ I might stick out with my pink hair but I can wear a hat!’”.
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