Ricky Hatton jokingly branded Stephen Webb as the 'worst person' on Dancing on Ice 2024
Late boxing legend Ricky Hatton thought he was going to be the "worst person" on the 2024 series of Dancing on Ice, until he discovered that former Gogglebox star Stephen Webb was also doing the programme that year.
Ricky Hatton joked he was going to be the "worst person" on the 2024 series of Dancing on Ice - until he found out Stephen Webb was taking part.
The witty remark from the late former world champion boxer - who was found dead aged 46 in September at his home in Hyde, Greater Manchester, by his friend and manager Paul Speak - proved right because ex-Gogglebox star Stephen withdrew from the now-shelved ITV show after he broke his left ankle during training.
Stephen - who had the accident in November 2023, two months before the 2024 series aired - exclusively told BANG Showbiz: "I'm just from Gogglebox.
"The people I went on Dancing On Ice with are all celebrities. I'm just a boy from Kent who landed on a TV show.
"But Ricky was very welcoming to me right from the start, and included me.
"He actually cracked a joke. He said that he thought he was probably going to be the worst person on the ice. He said, ‘And then you stepped on!’"
Asked how Ricky's joke made him feel, Stephen - who reacted to some of the UK's trending TV shows, as well as films, on Channel 4's Gogglebox from 2013 until he left in 2023 - added: "I laughed!
"That was the great thing about him, he was really inclusive. He started to get to know me and have fun.
"And, yeah, obviously he was right, because nine days later, I broke my ankle."
Despite Stephen feeling "shy" about taking part in Dancing on Ice due to being around big-name celebrities, including Ricky, Coronation Street star Claire Sweeney, 54, and Strictly Come Dancing 2025 star Amber Davies, 29, it was Ricky who made Stephen feel at ease.
Stephen recalled: "I only spent a few days with him on the ice, but he was just very welcoming. [Ricky] introduced himself to me and made me feel a part of the gang.
"It was my first job out of the tracks. My whole 10 years on Gogglebox, I'm on a TV show, but I'm actually at home, you know. I'm not in a studio doing all, you know, fancy and celebrity.
"So it was my first job off the back of Gogglebox, and yeah, I was really nervous, but everyone was so lovely."
Stephen broke his ankle after he slipped over while doing a "simple little move", and Olympic ski jumper Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards, 61, took Stephen's place in the line-up for Dancing on Ice 2024.
In March 2025, ITV announced that the show had been "rested" with "no current plans for another series".
And Stephen is gutted he will not get an opportunity to do Dancing on Ice.
The star said: "It's sad that the show no longer exists, or is having a break, because everyone on that show was amazing."
Stephen was speaking on behalf of Centre for Sight, the UK’s leading, trusted centre of excellence for advanced eye care, innovation and life-changing results.
He was treated by Mr. Sheraz Daya for Laser Lens Replacement, also known as RLE, Refractive Lens Exchange, which starts from £3,497 per eye.
For more information, visit centreforsight.com.
