Dancing On Ice’s Jason Donovan admits fears he’ll injure himself and won’t be able to earn money

Jason Donovan has admitted he fears injuring himself during his stint on Dancing On Ice.

The Australian star, 52, is worried an injury would stop him being able to compete in the entire series, and affect future earning potential, after a difficult 2020.

As a result, he insisted he won’t be putting himself – or his pro partner Alexandra Schauman – into danger by attempting any tricky moves on the rink.

‘My wife is worried about me getting injured, and so am I!’ Jason told OK! ‘If you’ve had a year like 2020 and you haven’t really been earning and everything shifts to 2021 and you suddenly find yourself in A&E with a broken arm or leg, it doesn’t bode well for cash flow.

‘It’s not worth anyone’s year for me to be injured, so I have to be careful. With a show like this the producers will push you because they want good TV.

‘But you have to say if you’re not sure about something, and say you’re not going to risk yourself or your partner’s safety for the sake of a good TV moment. I won’t be doing lifts if they put me in a silly place!’

Jason made his debut on the series on Sunday night, skating to Moondance by Michael Buble and scoring 25 – sharing the joint-top spot with Joe-Warren Plant, Rebekah Vardy, and Lady Leshurr. 

He admitted last week that he wouldn’t ‘still be standing’ today without his long-term wife Angela Malloch.

The Neighbours star gushed over his wife of 12 years as he admitted that she ‘saved’ him from cocaine addiction.

He told The Mirror: ‘Had it not been for her [Angela], I doubt I’d still be standing.

‘She was my saving grace and set to become the real love of my life.’ 

Jason went on to explain that he believes Angela was sent to him ‘for a reason’, after the pair met in 1998 while Jason was starring in the Rocky Horror Show UK tour. 

He continued: ‘Ange gave me my life back, made me see what love really was and to the day I die I will be grateful to her for that.’

The smitten couple tied the knot in 2008 and share three children together – Jemma, 20, Zac, 19, and Molly, nine.

After battling cocaine addition, Jason decided to clean up his act when Angela became pregnant with their first child Jemma.

In September 2019, the actor revealed that his past drug use was driven by a mistaken desire to be cool.

Jason explained that he had tried to rebel against what he perceived as his clean-cut image by indulging in cocaine in the 80s and 90s.

The singer said the sight of himself in a loin-cloth for the family-friendly Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 1991 made him concerned about his own identity being eroded by the uncool.

He said: ‘No life is perfect, you know, and I’m far from it.

‘I got very lucky very young, I got a little sidetracked by my own desire to think that by going out there and ‘crashing the car’, as I see it, that I was going to be cool.

‘I always thought coming out of Joseph when I looked at myself in a loin-cloth and a pair of white fluffy socks that I was turning into something I wasn’t.’

He said that his motivation to be cool was an error, and he has appreciated his work with maturity and experience. 

Jason, who rose to fame after first appearing on Neighbours in 1986, and then launching a music career, was at one point getting through several grams of cocaine a day.

The father-of-three said he would never want his children to follow his drug-taking path but does not totally regret his experiences. 

The singer said of his roles: ‘The irony in life is that’s as cool as it was going to get, it just takes time to mature, and seem a little more palatable.

‘I now know what I don’t want to do in my life, I’m very honest about that period. Do I regret it? Not really.

‘It was wasted time. There were a lot of relationships that suffered. But I got out at the right time and I’ve learned from it.

‘There are a lot of life experiences that I’m aware of that maybe other people wouldn’t be, having not experienced that.

‘Having said that, would I like my children to go down the path that I went? Absolutely not.

‘There’s nothing cool about taking drugs, full stop.’ 

Jason is set to make his Dancing On Ice debut on Sunday evening alongside his professional partner Alexandra Schauman.

Speaking prior to appearing on the show, Jason admitted that his biggest fear is injuring himself on the ‘unforgiving ice’ as he also has other commitments.

He explained: ‘I think for me, personally, I have other obligations beyond Dancing on Ice so those have to be considered and balanced. 

‘You want to do the best show you can but you want to do a show that’s safe as well. It’s that line between sexy TV and safe TV!’

The stage star also admitted that he is thrilled to be able to wear colourful and sparkling outfits on the ice, as he is used to wearing extravagant costumes having starred in Priscilla Queen of The Desert and The Rocky Horror Show.

He will be joining the likes of Myleene Klass, Denise Van Outen, Faye Brookes and Rebekah Vardy on the hit ice skating competition.

Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby once again return to present the show and the expert Ice Panel of Torvill and Dean, John Barrowman and Ashley Banjo will all resume their roles as judges.

Dancing On Ice 2021 airs Sunday nights on ITV at 6PM.

For anyone battling drug addiction, visit www.talktofrank.com or call 0300 1236600