Bez tests positive for Covid the day after making his Dancing on Ice debut

Bez and his winning partner Angela Egan take a break after being the first to skate on the ice during homecoming Manchester ice skate, a practice session for "Dancing On Ice" on the new ice skating rink at Escape to Freight Island on November 12, 2021 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Anthony Devlin/Getty Images)Bez and his winning partner Angela Egan take a break after being the first to skate on the ice during homecoming Manchester ice skate, a practice session for "Dancing On Ice" on the new ice skating rink at Escape to Freight Island on November 12, 2021 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Anthony Devlin/Getty Images)
Bez and his winning partner Angela Egan take a break after being the first to skate on the ice during homecoming Manchester ice skate, a practice session for "Dancing On Ice" on the new ice skating rink at Escape to Freight Island on November 12, 2021 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Anthony Devlin/Getty Images)

Former Happy Mondays star and Dancing on Ice 2022 contestant Mark ‘Bez’ Berry has tested positive for Covid-19 and will miss one week of training.

Luckily, the ITV show will not be thrown into too much chaos, as Bez was not scheduled to take to the ice this coming Sunday, as he was one half of the 12 new celebrity contestants to perform on Sunday (16 January).

Bez has been partnered with professional skater and reigning champion Angela Egan, who went the distance in 2021 with celebrity partner Sonny Jay, who is known for his involvement with Capital FM.

Despite an energetic performance from Bez and Egan, complete with maracas and dancing melons, the pair scored just 12.5 out of 40.

The Bolton native said he is “gutted” after his positive test, but will “cheer on his mates from home” as the second half of the 12 celebrity contestants will make their debut this Sunday (23 January).

Last year, the series was thrown into chaos due to coronavirus with Joe Warren-Plant, Vanessa Bauer and Rufus Hound having to leave the show early after testing positive.

The show was even briefly cancelled, with a week’s break to allow for the Covid outbreak to slow, and a highlights reel put in place.

Despite testing positive, Bez himself has already confirmed he will back for week three.

Speaking to the Daily Star, he said: “I’ve had a positive test, I’m gutted because I’m going to be missing training but I’m looking forward to skating on the show again for week three and I’ll be tuning in at home and cheering on my mates who are skating this weekend.”

An ITV spokesperson said: “We have stringent protocols in place to ensure the health and safety of all our contributors and staff, which are routinely monitored and updated to reflect the current guidelines.”

How long will Bez be self-isolating for?

On Monday, (17 January), self-isolation rules in England changed, and the minimum self-isolation period for people testing positive for Covid-19 was cut to five full days.

People who have tested positive for coronavirus will have to provide a negative test on both day five and day six, before ending their self-isolation.

You can then stop self-isolation if both tests taken on day five and day six are negative, and if you do not have a high temperature, as per advice on the NHS website.

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