Infamous EastEnders villain Charlie Brooks, who played the notorious Janine Butcher in the long-running soap, has signed up to appear in Dancing on Ice, it is reported tonight.
Brooks, 43, is also known for winning I’m Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! way back in 2012 and will now be donning her ice skates for the ITV celebrity skate dancing show.
A source tells The Sun tonight: “Charlie’s a brilliant signing. She has a huge fanbase from EastEnders and has tons of personality and feisty energy. The ITV bookers hope she can recreate some of her on-screen I’m a Celeb magic.
“They are making the most of the fact many female stars have avoided Strictly this year amid all the scandal. It’s going to be a belting line-up.”
Brooks had a long run on Eastenders on BBC1 but was last seen in Albert Square in 2022. She is understood to have been starring in a stage production of popular children’s story Chitty Chitty Bang Bang since then, on London’s West End.
An ITV spokesperson would not comment on the report and would only say that the line-up for Dancing On Ice would be “announced in due course.”
Earlier in September, the EastEnders icon candidly opened up on her battle with alcohol as she celebrated a big milestone.
The actress, who regularly reprised her role on a number of occasions since her first appearance in 1999, is said to have enjoyed the party scene during her time in the limelight and told her Instagram followers she "had some brilliant times".
However, as she posed for the selfie upload, she added that it "always came at a price" - and now she is alcohol free and has been for four years. Sharing further with her followers, she continued: "Sometimes I miss that version of my wild.. but my wild still shows up.. just in very different ways. It’s not a straightforward road, but nothing beats waking up sober on a Saturday morning or any other morning for that matter."
She added: "Mornings will forever be my new nights out."
Three years ago, Charlie confessed she had hit rock bottom and suffered a drop in self confidence. She told Fabulous magazine at the time: "It’s been a wobbly road, because I love to drink! I’m very sociable. But it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Drinking stopped being worth it for me. It made me eat s**t food and the hangovers were taking forever to recover from."
She added her decision left her feeling awake and paying better attention. "When opportunities present themselves, I’m not afraid to follow them and to be brave, because I believe in myself and I know that it’s all going to be OK," she added. "My confidence has come back in bucketloads."
*Frank offers confidential advice about drugs and addiction (email frank@talktofrank.com, message 82111 or call 0300 123 6600) or the NHS has information about getting help.
