Dancing on Ice’s Bez tried to dodge wearing sequins on the show

How are you getting on with your pro skater?

I’m paired up with last year’s champion, Angela Egan. I said to her, ‘Enjoy the moment because I doubt you are going to be this year’s champion!’

She’s come along to a Happy Mondays show to see what we’re all about. She’s become a really good friend.

What are Happy Mondays audiences like these days?

You’ve got all the old boys but they’re bringing their sons and daughters so it’s a mixed-age audience. Because of how the music industry is at the moment they aren’t experiencing the glory days of independent records and rock ’n’ roll.

Fortunately, they’re coming along to see us lot to get a feel of how it used to be.

How are you getting on with the Dancing On Ice wardrobe?

I’m trying to dodge the sequins and tight Lycra pants. For the first show we went with a Happy Mondays tune, Step On, so we’re bringing out the big guns straight away.

There’s a chance to shake me maracas but Happy Mondays, sequins and Lycra don’t quite go together!

How many pairs of maracas do you own?

A whole load of them. What I do is I get different artists to paint them for me. I always throw them away at the end of each show. I like to throw a bit of pop art away.

Are there any maracas that you can’t bear to part with?

I’ve got some that have been done as German hand grenades. I do keep some of them, especially presents.

There’s a clip on YouTube of you bungee jumping off the 720 feet Verzasca dam, the one in the James Bond movie GoldenEye.

That’s the biggest bungee jump on land, I think. You are falling for seven and a half seconds and you reach maximum velocity as you’re going down.

I went first [on TV show Adrenaline Junkie] because I didn’t want to catch the fear off the others. I just thought, ‘Go first and go for it!’ The only thing I noticed was I was watching my shadow on the dam wall all the way down, which was kind of weird. I get to do lots of things on TV that I would never normally do.

Are you still in touch with EastEnders actress Charlie Brooks, who also did it?

I’m not but Charlie Brooks is amazing. She got the fear because she didn’t do it straight away but she overcame it and still did it. That takes character.

Are you doing any more Celebrity Gogglebox with Shaun Ryder?

I’m not sure whether we’re getting asked back but it has been good fun. Through lockdown you got to spend time with your mate and drink whisky and Guinness together, watching telly and talking rubbish. What a great job!

Whose house do you film it in?

It’s a nice gaff. We go to Shaun’s. It’s a lovely place. We’re a lot posher than we used to be. Shaun has his chickens.

Have you got any pets?

I’ve got two miniature dachshunds called Yoko and Snoop. I’m away a lot so they are company for my girlfriend. They’re great dogs with such character. Because we live in the country they are proper country dogs.

Are you still doing your fitness course, Buzzing With Bez?

No, after that finished last year I did some boxing, which took me to the next level of fitness. I enjoy keeping fit, especially at my age. It’s good to do a bit of light exercise to keep your joints moving.

Before I started Buzzing With Bez my knees were aching but since I started exercising my knee pains have gone away.

Have you got Shaun exercising?

He’s not the healthiest man I know but he is one of the funniest. He’s had his hip replaced so I think exercise is a thing that may never happen again. I’m always telling him to do vitamin C but he says to me, ‘Bez, I’m allergic to vitamin C.’

I told him that nobody can be allergic to that. Anyway, he got Covid and he’s also got alopecia, where your hair falls out.

The only thing he could eat with Covid was fruit so he did that for three or four weeks and his hair started growing back. I said to him, ‘Your body is probably rejoicing. It’s getting these huge hits of vitamin C and your hair has started growing back. That must tell you something!’

Dancing On Ice, Sundays at 6.30pm on ITV and ITV Hub