EastEnders villain Charlie Brooks 'signs up for Dancing on Ice' after Janine Butcher fame

Notorious EastEnders baddie Charlie Brooks, famed for her portrayal of the much-maligned Janine Butcher, has been snapped up to compete in Dancing on Ice, it is reported this evening.

The 43-year-old actress, celebrated for snagging the crown in I'm Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! back in 2012, is poised to swap the cobbles of Albert Square for the icy rink of the ITV celebrity dance contest.

An insider confided to The Sun: "Charlie's a brilliant signing. She has a huge fanbase from EastEnders and has tons of personality and feisty energy. The ITV bookers hope she can recreate some of her on-screen I'm a Celeb magic."

They added: "They are making the most of the fact many female stars have avoided Strictly this year amid all the scandal. It's going to be a belting line-up."

Since her last appearance on Eastenders on BBC1 in 2022, it is believed Brooks has been treading the boards in a stage adaptation of the beloved children's tale Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in London's glittering West End.

While an ITV representative declined to verify the claims, stating only that the ensemble for Dancing On Ice will be "announced in due course."

Previously in September, the soap legend spoke openly about her struggles with alcohol as she observed a significant personal landmark.

Brooks, who has intermittently resumed her infamous role since debuting on the show in 1999, acknowledged her fondness for the festive circuit during her stint in the spotlight, sharing with her Instagram audience that she "had some brilliant times".

In a heartfelt social media update, the mother highlighted the personal cost of her former lifestyle, saying: "Sometimes I miss that version of my wild.. but my wild still shows up.. just in very different ways. It's not a straightforward road, but nothing beats waking up sober on a Saturday morning or any other morning for that matter."

She added it "always came at a price" but said that now "mornings will forever be my new nights out."

Reflecting on the journey that led to her sobriety, three years earlier she admitted to Fabulous magazine about her low point, saying: "It's been a wobbly road, because I love to drink! I'm very sociable. But it's one of the best decisions I've ever made. Drinking stopped being worth it for me. It made me eat s**t food and the hangovers were taking forever to recover from."

She further conveyed the benefits of her life-changing decision, like feeling more alert and engaged: "When opportunities present themselves, I'm not afraid to follow them and to be brave, because I believe in myself and I know that it's all going to be OK," she said. "My confidence has come back in bucketloads."