First Celebrities and Special Guest Judge Announced for DANCING ON ICE Tour

Dancing on Ice fans will be thrilled to learn that X Factor star Jake Quickenden, Bucks Fizz legend Cheryl Baker and rugby ace Max Evans will be getting their skates on for the Dancing on Ice Live UK Tour, which kicks off in March.

This year's tour will also feature a special guest judge; TV and West End star Denise Van Outen, who will join the ice panel hot on the heels of her judging duties on Ireland's Got Talent.

Denise, Jake, Cheryl and Max will be joining Dancing on Ice Head Judges and live tour hosts, skating legends Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, on the road this spring when the Dancing on Ice Live UK Tour skates up and down the country. Jake Quickenden has wowed both fans and the judges on the ITV show with his impressive skating which has seen him top of the leader board three times since the series began.

Jake said: "This show has been such an amazing experience, so being asked to go on the live tour is awesome! I genuinely wasn't expecting to be top of the leaderboard ever, let alone three times, so being able to go on the road to thank all those people who kept me there is such an honour."

Cheryl Baker hasn't had such an easy time since taking to the ice, but has entertained viewers with her best efforts and quick witted responses to the judges' comments. Cheryl said: "I love going on tour with The Fizz, so going on the road and seeing all the Dancing On Ice fans around the country is going to be so much fun! Hopefully my skating skills will have improved by then too!"

Max Evans has proved he's just as fast on the ice as the rugby pitch, impressing the TV Ice Panel with his skating week after week. Max said: "Being asked to be on the live tour is incredible and totally unexpected, but I am thrilled to continue my skating all over the UK."

Denise Van Outen is no stranger to judging panels as the Loose Women regular is currently judging on Ireland's Got Talent and previously judged on BBC1's 'I'd Do Anything' and 'Any Dream Will Do'. A muse for Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, everyone's favourite Roxy Hart in Chicago and a Strictly Come Dancing finalist, Denise knows her craft and is the perfect addition to the Dancing on Ice Live UK Tour. Denise said: "I'm so excited to be working on the Dancing on Ice Tour and cannot wait to see the skaters wow the audiences in the arenas. It's going to be spectacular and as a fan of the show, I'm delighted to join the Ice Family!"

The Dancing on Ice tour will announce further celebrities and professional skaters from the new TV series in the coming weeks. The tour will open at The SSE Arena, Wembley on 23 March for the first of 27 shows. It will then visit some of the biggest entertainment venues across the UK, including Sheffield's FlyDSA Arena, Newcastle's Metro Radio Arena, Manchester Arena, the SSE Hydro in Glasgow and a Torvill & Dean homecoming at Nottingham's Motorpoint Arena. The tour culminates at the Arena Birmingham on 15 April.