Mollie Pearce is set to take to the ice as the newest series of Dancing on Ice launches tonight – and will be the third contestant to take part with a disability. Mollie, 22, won the nations hearts after making it to the final of popular BBC show The Traitors last year, and being shafted by her ‘best friend’ in the game Harry Clark.
He walked away with the entire £95,150 prize pot after convincing her wrongly that he was also a faithful. Mollie, who has worked as a disability model for brands including Kurt Geiger, Zalando and Bodyform, is already the favourite with bookies to win the ITV ice skating competition with partner Colin Grafton before any of the contestants have even set foot on the ice.
Away from her TV career, she has been open about the ‘double whammy’ of heath issues she has faced in her life, including a ‘taboo’ condition that once ‘competely ruled’ her life. Mollie was born with no fingers on her right hand. and at age 11 faced a severe health blow when she was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis – a condition that causes inflammation and ulcers in the colon and rectum.
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By 18, she had undergone surgery to remove her colon and was fitted with a stoma – a small opening in the abdomen that is used to remove body waste into a collection bag. She revealed how the diagnosis took a significant toll on her and has since tried to raise awareness of living with a stoma, something she said can often be a ‘taboo’ subject.
In a broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on behalf of the children’s bowel and bladder charity ERIC, Mollie, whose dad also suffers from the same autoimmune condition, shared: “Growing up, it completely ruled my life. I struggled going to school because I was scared I couldn’t make the five-minute walk.
“I was always rushing to the loo, terrified I wouldn’t make it. When I was 18 I was fitted with a stoma and I’ve learned to live with my condition. It doesn’t stop me living my life and I’m able to talk about it now. But there are so many young people suffering in silence, feeling scared and alone.”
In another interview with the BBC, she spoke about the ‘taboo’ of talking about bowel issues. She said: “I think we now live in a society where having a stoma bag is becoming a bit more normal, external and people are starting to talk about it. But generally speaking, I think poo has always been an embarrassing and taboo thing for people.”
Mollie revealed that hospital had become her “second home” before her life-changing operation. She said while she appears completely healthy on the outside, colitis is a “vicious disease which will tear you up from the inside out”.
She spoke about the symptoms leaving her in so much pain she would sometimes struggle to even walk upstairs in her own home, and her fear of the major operation she underwent at 18.
Recalling the moment that would change her life forever, Mollie wrote on Instagram: “This is a post I hoped I would never have to write. On the 30th of September, I went to the hospital for a checkup and ended up being admitted due to the severity of my symptoms. I didn’t think in a million years my biggest fear was about to come true.
“I have been fighting ulcerative colitis for 8 years and last week it finally won when I had to say goodbye to my colon forever. It is a major 7-hour operation which has scared me since being diagnosed.
“It’s been the hardest week of my life but the love I have felt from my friends and family is something I will never forget. All I ask is that if you have any time please educate yourself on Crohn’s and colitis. It affects a huge amount of people and can be very hard to explain and understand.
“It’s going to take a lot of time and strength to adjust to my new life with a stoma bag. It’s important to remember beauty isn’t external and it’s about who you are and how you view things you. All our bodies are beautiful! Please share this and anything you know about IBD to spread as much awareness as possible about this vicious illness. Let’s get you educated! Thank you to everyone for all the love and support. Scars make us strong.”
Mollie is the third disabled contestant to take part in Dancing on Ice, after blind sprinter Libby Clegg took to the ice in 2020 and Paralympian long-jumper Stef Reid, who has a prosthetic leg, joined the show in 2022.
Dancing on Ice begins on ITV1 on Sunday, January 12 at 6.30pm. Fans can catch up on online stream platform ITVX.