AS Dancing on Ice slides back on to our screens on Sunday night, historical research of the show’s previous winners has found that Donna Air has the best chance of being crowned the ice queen.
This defies the bookmakers’ predictions of singer Jake Quickenden triumphing, at odds of 4/1.
BonusCodeBets has used the data from the first eight years of the show to reveal that actors have historically performed the best on the ice, thanks to Gaynor Faye, Ray Quinn, Hayley Tamaddon, Sam Attwater and Matthew Wolfenden all winning previously.
The largest percentage of competitors are actors (34%) and they make up a disproportionate 63% of all series champions.
Whilst Donna Air, known for her appearances as a child on Byker Grove and, more recently, Celebrity MasterChef, is predicted to win the show, runner-up professions comprise of gymnasts, rugby players and singers, who have had one victory each.
Those perpetually left out in the cold are TV presenters who, despite having made up 20% of competitors in the previous seasons, have yet to claim a title.
Whilst Donna’s profession stands her in good stead she also has the good fortune to be partnered with Mark Hanretty who, the research shows, is the optimum age for a professional partner (32).
The bookmakers might not be entirely off; their favourite Jake Quickenden, at 29, is the average age for a Dancing on Ice winner, with Perri Shakes-Drayton just behind at aged 28.
However, there’s also the Daniel Whitson factor to consider. The professional skater, who is partnering 63-year-old actor and dark horse Cheryl Baker this year, is lucky on the ice; having won 38% of the shows he has appeared in – never losing a final.
Matt Evers, who partners Candice Brown, and Brianne Delcourt, who partners Alex Beresford, have also had a large measure of success, both reaching the top three on three occasions and each winning once.
Men are more likely to reach the final with 63% of second-placed finishers being male and yet historically there has been equal number of male and female winners, both with four.
The 12 celebrity dancers in the 2018 series, which starts on Sunday 7th January, are Alex Beresford, Antony Cotton, Brooke Vincent, Candice Brown, Cheryl Baker, Donna Air, Jake Quickenden, Kem Cetinay, Lemar, Max Evans, Perri Shakes-Drayton, and Stephanie Waring.
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