Claire Sweeney opens up about her Dancing On Ice adventure in Prima's January issue
A new year is often heralded as the time for change and new beginnings, and no one has taken that more to heart than this month's Prima cover star, Claire Sweeney, who is soon to don her skates for ITV's Dancing On Ice 2024.
"I wanted to challenge myself," she admits in Prima's January issue. "You get little vulnerabilities and anxieties with menopause and you start to lose your bottle as you get older, so I want to conquer some fears and get my confidence and chutzpah back. It’s going to be good for me. When I stepped on to the ice for the first time, I had this feeling of euphoria. It was such an adrenaline rush, I loved it – how great at 52 years of age.”
Having hardly ice skated before, her lessons haven't been without mishaps. "The first time I went on the ice, Torvill and Dean were standing in the middle of this huge rink and there were cameras everywhere. I’d got a blow-dry and was wearing bright blue because I thought it would stand out, but as I got on the ice, I went flying, landed on my wrist and hurt it. I thought, ‘If I can carry on with everyone looking at me, that will be a big accomplishment’, so I got back up and kept skating for half an hour and was so proud of myself. Then I glanced in the mirror in the dressing room and saw that my leggings had ripped and my bum had been hanging out the whole time!"
It's a bold but not surprising move, since Claire is no stranger to a challenge, having taken on the unlikely character of Cassie Plummer, a troubled drug addict, in Coronation Street earlier this year. "I met the boss, Ian MacLeod, and I was thinking I’d love to be a glamorous Elsie Tanner type behind the bar in the Rovers, all big boobs and big hair," she revealed.
"A few weeks later, they were casting the part of Cassie and Iain’s wife, Verity… a producer on the show said, ‘How about Claire?’ So, at 6pm, I got a phone call from my agent saying Corrie wanted a self-tape by tomorrow of that first scene in the hospital when Cassie has had an overdose. I got my friend over to film me with no makeup on in bed. They thought it was funny because I have a big silver bed – it’s really camp – and there I am, coming out of an overdose in a fancy bed. But I got the part."
Also in the new issue, we've got our pick of last-minute Christmas gifts, all of which are under £30, and loads of festive fashion inspiration, from Christmas Day outfits to stylish ways to approach the obligatory Boxing Day walk.
There's also Trinny Woodall's beauty secrets, quick and easy Christmas crafts and the ultimate party pud that everyone will love.
Pick up your copy of Prima today!
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