X Factor star Saara Aalto has revealed her fears about competing in Dancing On Ice.
Singer Saara was runner up on The X Factor in 2016, finishing second behind winner Matt Terry.
The performer, who in 2018 competing in Eurovision for her home country of Finland, is now one of 2019’s Dancing On Ice contestants.
Saara has been in training for two months now and admitted she’s been left struggling to sleep because of nerves.
“My partner loves lifting, maybe he’s really strong and wants to show it off,” says Saara, who has been partnered with pro Hamish Gaman.
She explained: “I thought it was going to be easy because he’s so strong, I was like ‘yeah, I can just stay up there and look beautiful’, but it’s not like that.
“I’ve not been able to sleep well in the last three weeks because I’m so scared. Every night I’m just thinking about the lifts I have to do on the ice.”
Saara added to the Daily Mirror newspaper: “It’s so much scarier than I thought.”
Despite her fears, Saara vowed to bring some big performances to the ice.
She declared defiantly: “I love a challenge and I love performing. I love to do crazy performances and I can’t wait to see what I can do on the ice, what kind of outfits and how I’ll bring the showgirl in me alive.”
A total of twelve celebrity contestants have signed up for Dancing On Ice’s new series, the second to air recently after 2018’s revival.
Alongside Saara, those signed up include Gemma Collins and Grease star Didi Conn are among the twelve famous faces joining the eleventh series.
Soap stars Jane Danson, Richard Blackwood and Mark Little, cricketer Ryan Sidebottom and TV host Saira Khan will also all take to the ice.
Completing the Dancing On Ice line up are Westlife’s Brian McFadden, Love Island’s Wes Nelson, ex-Strictly pro dancer James Jordan and Pussycat Doll Melody Thornton.
The Dancing On Ice celeb and pro pairings were previously revealed as the couples headed into training for their first live show.
Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean will be back heading up the judging panel alongside Jason Gardiner and Ashley Banjo.
Dancing On Ice 2019 will launch on Sunday, January 6 on ITV, hosted by Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield.
