I auditioned for Dancing On Ice three times but I only signed up on major condition, says Ian 'H' Watkins | The Sun
STEPS singer Ian 'H' Watkins made TV history when he became one half of the first same sex pairing on Dancing On Ice with pro skater Matt Evers.
The trailblazing moment was a long time coming with H telling us that he auditioned three times for the ITV entertainment show.
He spent years pushing for a same sex pairing on the programme and when he finally got the call to take part, he knew there was only one way he would say yes.
In an exclusive interview with the Sun to promote Play Doh's first ever book: Notes on Messy Parenting, he said: "It's a show I always wanted to do. I auditioned for it three times and I never ever got it. And this time I was so comfortable in my own skin, I was an out and proud gay dad and I wanted my children to see me being my authentic self, so when I got the call I had it I said I will do it but under these conditions.
"It wasn't me throwing my toys out the pram, I just said if you want me this is the way I'll do it, if not then I'll walk away and there's no hard feelings."
Ultimately bosses agreed to partner H with a male pro dancer and millions tuned in to see the progressive telly moment.
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"The pressure kind of piled on once they agreed to do what I wanted I guess," said H. "But I did feel on the night that Matt and I performed, there was a feeling I'd never had in a TV studio before, and I've been in a lot.
"The gravitas and the importance of what Matt and I were about to do was very apparent. And after I skated Holly [Willoughby] and Phillip [Schofield] said in all the years we've done the show we've never felt the studio like that.
"There was silence. A pin could drop. And that two and a half minutes felt like two and a half hours."
The success of H and Matt's partnership had a direct impact on Dancing On Ice's rival entertainment show Strictly Come Dancing.
It also embraced a same sex pairing for the first time in its next series pairing Nicola Adams with Katya Jones.
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And John Whaite and Johannes Radebe followed, becoming the first all-male pairing.
H, who is a dad to twin six-year-old boys, is proud of the progress that has been made but believes their are other members of the LGBTQ+ community that need to be championed.
He said: "I love that I champion our community. I've been chatting to producers behind the scenes for years now. I do think they are very forward thinking, y'know they beat Strictly to post with this but I do think part of the community that is completely underrepresented is the trans community.
"They are very much under attack and we need to love and support and champion humanity."
Filled with anecdotes, daily dramas and ball drops from well-known parents in the UK, Notes on Messy Parenting is available to read and download free.
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