Want to know more about Dancing On Ice judge Ashley Banjo? Course you do

Ashley Banjo

by Emma Dodds |
Published on

Ashley Banjo shot to fame in 2009 after winning Britain's Got Talent with his dance group Diversity. But where else do we know him from? Here's everything you need to know about the Dancing On Ice judge...

Ashley, 29, was announced as the fourth and final judge on the Dancing On Ice judging panel in November last year, joining the returning Jason Gardiner as well as Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, who will be in new roles as head judges.

But Ashley was just an ordinary guy 10 years ago - how did he get from there to here?

GALLERY: All the celebrity contestants competing in Dancing On Ice 2018

Gallery

Dancing On Ice 2018 line-up (Closer) - slider, short

Brooke Vincent1 of 13
CREDIT: ITV Pictures

Brooke Vincent

The first Dancing on Ice contestant has been confirmed and it's none other than Coronation Street star… Brooke Vincent! She revealed she's taking part because she "loves a challenge and ice-skating is an amazing skill".

Cheryl Baker2 of 13
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Cheryl Baker

TV presenter Cheryl Baker has CONFIRMED her place on the next series of Dancing On Ice!

Kem Cetinay3 of 13
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Kem Cetinay

Kem, 21, appeared on reality show Love Island earlier this year, and has already become a massive star thanks to his friendship with co-star Chris Hughes, who was embroiled in a heated argument with Katie Price.

Candice Brown4 of 13
CREDIT: ITV Pictures

Candice Brown

Candice, who won The Great British Bake Off 2016, will appear as a contestant on the ice skating talent show.

Max Evans5 of 13
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Max Evans

Max, along with Candice, was confirmed to appear on the show on Chris Evans' BBC Radio Two show.

Jake Quickenden6 of 13
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Jake Quickenden

Jake, who appeared on the singing show in both 2012 and 2014, was confirmed on Lorraine. He said: "I'm terrified. I had my first training session yesterday - I was freezing! Ice is cold!"

Monty Panesar7 of 13
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Monty Panesar

Speaking on BBC Radio Five Live, Monty announced his signing to the show as the seventh celeb. leave the show

Lemar Obika8 of 13
CREDIT: ITV Pictures

Lemar Obika

Due to Monty's injury, Lemar has stepped in as a back-up to take part in Dancing On Ice 2018. He's been rehearsing in secret just in case anyone seriously injured themselves, and now he's stepped up to the plate.

Alex Beresford9 of 13
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Alex Beresford

Alex confirmed his appearance after he presented a weather segment on Good Morning Britain.

Donna Air10 of 13
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Donna Air

Donna, 38, who once dated James Middleton - brother of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, previously appeared on Splash!, a show fronted by Tom Daly which saw celebs learn how to dive.

Perri Shakes-Drayton11 of 13
CREDIT: ITV Pictures

Perri Shakes-Drayton

Perri, 28, who competed as a sprinter in the 2012 London Olympics, confirmed her appearance in an interview on BBC Radio 1Xtra.

Antony Cotton12 of 13
CREDIT: ITV Pictures

Antony Cotton

Coronation Street fans, you're definitely going to enjoy the newest series of Dancing on Ice because the show is now home to TWO Weatherfield residents!

Stephanie Waring13 of 13
CREDIT: ITV Pictures

Stephanie Waring

Stephanie, 39, confirmed that she was the last celebrity to sign up to the show which is due to air in January next year.

Who is Ashley Banjo?

Ashley Banjo is a street dancer and choreographer. He rose to fame after competing in the third series of Britain's Got Talent with his dance troupe Diversity, who went onto win the show.

Since then, Ashley has become a household name, becoming a judge on dancing talent show Got To Dance and later, Dance Dance Dance. He also presented Can't Touch This, a Saturday night game show on the BBC.

Diversity have also been on arena tours up and down the country.

WATCH: Diversity perform their first audition on Britain's Got Talent in 2009

READ MORE | Dancing On Ice 2018: Here's everything we know so far about the new series

Ashley Banjo on Dancing On Ice

Ashley was announced as the fourth judge on the show back in November last year, revealing all in an interview on Loose Women.

He said: "This show feels like it's embedded into society. I was really excited to be part of the revamp and the refresh. I'm going to be myself, be constructive, and just be ready for Jason!

"I'm going to be honest. If someone is great, I'll tell them they're great. If people need telling that it was bad, I'll tell them."

He also revealed recently that he's quite a proficient ice skater himself, saying: "I used to skate when I was younger. I own a pair of skates and blades. I love skating.

"I haven’t skated for a while but I can skate. I think judging on this show will inspire me. I can’t imagine going through this without going skating!"

WATCH: Dancing On Ice's head judges Torvill and Dean answer Closer Online's quick-fire questions...

Where does Ashley Banjo come from?

Ashley Banjo is from Leytonstone in London, having been born there and grown up there. His dad is a professional boxer from Nigeria named Funso Banjo, and his mum, Danielle, is English and a former ballet dancer.

How tall is Ashley Banjo?

Ashley is a whopping 1.96m, which is roughly 6'5". Wowza!

Is Ashley Banjo married?

Ashley Banjo is indeed married! His wife is solicitor Francesca Abbott, who is a member of a dance troupe called Out of the Shadows. They became engaged on 2 October 2014, and tied the knot on 4 July 2015 at a venue in Essex.

Who is Ashley Banjo's brother?

Ashley Banjo's brother Jordan is also a member of Diversity, and has bagged himself a job working alongside his brother on Dancing On Ice as the Backstage Digital Host. He used to be in a relationship with Jesy Nelson from Little Mix as they'd been friends from childhood.

What is Ashley Banjo's Twitter username?

Ashley Banjo's Twitter handle is AshleyBanjo. Nice and simple!

What is Ashley Banjo's Instagram username?

Ashley Banjo's Instagram username is ashleybanjogram.

What is Ashley Banjo's Snapchat username?

Ashley Banjo doesn't have a public Snapchat username!

**Do you think Ashley is a good judge for Dancing On Ice? Let us know over on **Facebook and Twitter.

READ MORE...

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Here's everything you need to know about Dancing On Ice's Brooke Vincent

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