Claire Sweeney has shared that a big reason why she signed up for the 2024 series of Dancing on Ice was to battle her menopause anxieties.

The former Brookside and current Coronation Street actress, 52, will join the likes of DJ and broadcaster Adele Roberts, boxer Ricky Hatton and former Olympian Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards on the ITV show in early 2024.

When asked by Prima magazine why she decided to take part in the show she explained it was all about challenging herself.

Sweeney said: “You get little vulnerabilities and anxieties with menopause and you start to lose your bottle as you get older, so I want to conquer some fears and get my confidence and chutzpah back.

It's showtime, Sweeney! ✨ Soap Star @ClaireSweeney takes to the greatest show on ice in the new year. #DancingOnIce pic.twitter.com/tjmzMmC2SR

“It’s going to be good for me. When I stepped on to the ice for the first time, I had this feeling of euphoria. It was such an adrenaline rush, I loved it – how great at 52 years of age.”

Training has proved to be a fairly tough endeavour for Dancing on Ice and Sweeney admitted she took a tumble in front of judges Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean the first time she tested out.

She said: “The first time I went on the ice, Torvill and Dean were standing in the middle of this huge rink and there were cameras everywhere.

“I’d got a blow-dry and was wearing bright blue because I thought it would stand out, but as I got on the ice I went flying, landed on my wrist and hurt it.

“I thought, ‘If I can carry on with everyone looking at me, that will be a big accomplishment’, so I got back up and kept skating for half an hour and was so proud of myself.

“Then I glanced in the mirror in the dressing room and saw that my leggings had ripped and my bum had been hanging out the whole time.”

The full interview can be read in Prima’s January 2024 issue, on sale now.

Dancing On Ice will return to ITV and ITVX in January 2024.

The 12 new contestants will take to the ice with their professional partners as they try to impress the judges and viewers at home.