Stefan Booth Online

Skating through the Pain Barrier

Stefan Booth talks about his fears of long-term health problems from his Dancing on Ice injuries.

He’s dislocated his collarbone and developed tendonitis in his ankles. He’s openly blubbed on TV and been rudely dismissed as a geek. But Stefan Booth, 26, says his spell on Dancing on Ice has been the most fun of his career.

“It’s not often you get a job where you can put your heart into it,” says the actor, whose made it to the final of the contest. “I’ve become so passionate about ice dancing and the show’s such fun. I’m really happy to be doing it even though you have to push yourself because your body’s screaming at you. I haven’t begun to think what I’ll do when I come out of this because I’ll have so much energy afterwards. Now I’ve got legs like tree trunks that I won’t know what to do with.”

Among the downsides of the show for Stefan - best known as gay policeman Sgt Mark Rollins in The Bill - has been the abuse he’s taken from Dancing on Ice judge Jason Gardiner, who has described his as “the sort of geek you get at an office party”. “You’ve got to look at the bigger picture” says an unconcerned Stefan. “Jason is there to make his name. But who’s he to call anyone else a geek? Look whose talking.”

One thing Stefan isn’t able to dismiss quite so easily is the embarrassment of bursting into tears on screen. “I sprung a leak,” he admits. “It was pressure. It’s a bit unfortunate in front of 11 million people. I hope no one thought I was a wuss. But my mum said: ‘It’s ok, dear, it’s nice to see an emotional man on television.’ Maybe she’s right”.

Stefan’s biggest problem has been skating through the pain. “You know that Michael Jackson video where the dancers move their feet and hips jerkily? I’m like that now when I get out of bed - I’m so stiff I walk like a zombie. I creak and groan. I’ve given myself tendonitis in my ankles. My knees are really sore because I keep landing on them. I popped my collarbone out of my shoulder when I landed with my arm under my back. If you’re injured or hurting the schedule for Dancing on Ice is so punishing that you’ve just got to get on with it.”

But there are compensations, Stefan’s girlfriend, model Debbie Flett, 27, has been enjoying the changes to his physique that the training has caused. “She’s pretty impressed with my buns of steel,” he says. “She likes my bum. It’s changed shape which is ridiculous, but nothing is heading south any more.”

However, the fear of long-term injury problems still lurks in the back of Stefan’s mind. Disability is a subject close to his heart. His mother Mish, a trained opera singer, is wheelchair-bound since suffering a debilitating kidney disease. “My mother’s health problems made me aware of my own wellbeing.” he says. “She’s always telling me to avoid doing things that might cause premature arthritis. She says the more I injure myself, the greater the risk of future suffering. I’m not sure what this show will do to my body in the long run. But I should be OK - I won’t be on the ice for much longer!”

By Fraser Massey of NOW Magazine from the issue dated 8th March 2006