Dancing on Ice star Alexandra Murphy splits from long-term boyfriend as the show is hit by its own version of the Strictly curse
DANCING on Ice has been hit by its own Strictly curse after Brian McFadden’s skating partner Alexandra Murphy splits from her long-term boyfriend.
The pro skater, 30, ended her two-year romance with medical student Marcus Stammen, 26, after finding it difficult to keep up their long-distance relationship.
It comes after Alexandra starred on the ITV show last year being partnered with Love Island winner Kem Cetinay, 22.
Insiders have revealed the couple struggled with holding down their relationship as Alexandra prioritised being on the series.
A source said: “Marcus called time on their relationship due to the amount of time Alex was spending in the UK due to her work commitments – leaving her distraught.
“She was devastated after he finished it on Christmas Eve, which was awful timing.
“Alex had no idea that he was planning on ending things between them; both agreed it was tough having a long distance relationship but their split came as a shock to her.”
Former Westlife singer Brian, 38, is still in a happy relationship with PE teacher partner Danielle Parkinson, who he lives with in Rochdale.
Talking about his fears for the show ahead of his debut performance on Sunday, Brian said: “I’m not worried in any way about learning the dance, I think I’ll be fine.
“Obviously, my biggest fear is going to be dropping my partner or slipping on the ice. I’m not worried about blanking and forgetting the routines.
“I’m pretty good at remembering routines because obviously in Westlife we had to learn dance routines and I’ve got to remember songs every night on stage so that part, the pressure of a crowd and stuff doesn’t bother me. The biggest fear is dropping my partner or falling over.”
Despite his advantages on the show, he went onto reveal "this is one of the biggest challenges" he has faced in his career.
He added: “When I go out on stage every night I’m doing something that I’m very confident about.”