My legs are my biggest weapon – I’ll rule Dancing on Ice with this special move, says Kimberly Wyatt
BEZ may have his maracas and Brendan Cole the ballroom experience – but none of the Dancing On Ice celeb hopefuls has a secret weapon quite like Kimberly Wyatt’s.
As the ITV contest progresses, the Pussycat Doll is almost sure to wheel out her jaw-dropping move — the “standing oversplit”.
Kimberly, 39, hopes the manoeuvre will bring her the same luck on the ice as it did in the raunchy US girl group.
She said: “My legs have been my biggest weapon in life.
“Michael Jackson has the moonwalk, but in Pussycat Dolls I created the standing oversplit and now it’s become a language among dancers around the world.
“So many girls do it, boys do it and always tag me and it’s a thing.
“So I’m quite grateful that I’ve been able to create that and grateful to be turning 40 and be a mum of three and still get an opportunity to stretch my limbs like that.”
The costume department on Dancing On Ice has had to take Kimberly’s flexibility and daring moves into account when designing her revealing outfits.
Most read in TV
She appeared on the opener on Sunday and the series continues tomorrow at 6.30pm.
To avoid a wardrobe malfunction on national telly when she performs the splits, they have had to make sure she has special outfits.
Kimberly said: “I’ve got a good relationship with the wardrobe department now, they totally understand and they made sure that leotard was perfect.
“That’s my worst nightmare, a wardrobe malfunction of any type. I’ve always been so safe. I’d always have boy shorts that I could count on if the crotch that was in a costume was a bit too small.
“I would wear three bras — one to keep them covered, one to give them some push, then the costume on top.
“So if one bra popped, I had two to keep me safe.”
Exposing too much flesh isn’t the only risk with performing on Dancing On Ice.
There is also the show’s tendency to see the contestants’ relationships crack under the strain of long days spent away from home rehearsing with the pro skaters.
But Kimberly says there is no chance of that happening because her “beautiful” husband, Brit model Max Rogers, 39, is the only man for her.
She said: “I’ve got a good one, he’s like a Greek god. He’s so talented at what he does and I’m so inspired by my husband and he is so beautiful.
“So yeah, there’ll definitely be no worries about the Dancing On Ice curse.”
Over its 16-year history, more than ten contestants have seen their relationships crumble — with some as a result of rumours they had grown too close to their pro skate partner.
But Kimberly — who has daughters Willow, seven, and Maple, five, and two-year-old son Ford with Max — laughed off the idea that her head could be turned by her TV ice partner Mark Hanretty, 36.
She said: “We’ve got three kids, so not one of us is going anywhere.
My husband’s like a Greek god. He’s so talented, beautiful, supportive. So, yeah, there are definitely no worries about the Dancing On Ice curse.
Kimberly Wyatt
“Max has been nothing but supportive. My husband is one of my biggest fans and he knows the mode I go into when I want to do well in something like this and if anything, he helps Mark understand my process.
“I can get quite quiet and serious when I’m trying to make great things happen on the ice. And he’s really developed a lovely relationship with Mark and I’ve reached out to Kathy — Mark’s wife — and he has two kids.
“So there’s a really nice synergy of support and understanding.
“When I show up to the ice, I’ve sometimes barely slept because of the kids and the school run and all this stuff, so it’s like, ‘Give me a second’. And to have that understanding, to be on the level with my partner, is really nice.”
Packed lunches and early-morning drop-offs seem far from the Missouri-born dancer’s showbiz career.
After moving to LA, she found fame with dance-troupe-turned-pop-group the Pussycat Dolls.
They stormed the charts worldwide with hits such as Don’t Cha and Stickwitu, had two world tours and sold more than 15million LPs and 40million singles.
After the band went on hiatus in 2009 Kimberly became a judge on Sky One’s Got To Dance and won Celebrity MasterChef in 2015.
Despite decades of dance training, she strongly denies she has a physical advantage on the ice, and says her three emergency caesarean child deliveries have taken their toll.
Kimberly has told how she could have died giving birth to elder daughter Willow — as the baby was pulling her mum’s famous dance move in the womb.
The term “Too posh to push” was coined to describe usually better-off mothers who had the option of a caesarean delivery rather than a natural birth.
But Kimberly had no choice over how her children were delivered.
A wardrobe malfunction is my worst nightmare. I’ve always been so safe. And I’m grateful to be turning 40 and a mum of three and still able to do it.
Kimberly Wyatt
She said: “I’ve heard the expression and I can’t think of anything harder than to overcome getting split open three times.
“The first time I put my feet on the ground and stand up afterwards, you feel like your insides are going to fall out.
“You feel your organs floating around, like you don’t have the muscles pushing that baby out and bringing things back together.
“My first baby, crazily enough, was stuck in breech the whole time, with one leg over her head.
“They didn’t even try to turn her because she was really stuck in there. They said, ‘If this had been 50 years ago, you would’ve died in childbirth’.”
She went on: “I was devastated. I’ve always dreamed of that moment and seeing just what your body does and what we were born to do.
“So the recovery is insanity, among the breastfeeding and the emotions and whatnot. I hope we’re able to bring more awareness into what women really do go through.
“My second baby, two weeks before due date she flipped (feet first) and there was no coming back. I tried to have them do it manually, which was the worst feeling in the world.
“And with the third pregnancy, they’re like, ‘It’s too dangerous to even try, so we advise you to go for caesarean again’.”
For now, Max is doing the lion’s share of childcare while Kimberly trains on the ice.
On Sunday’s launch show, she was just half a point behind former Strictly pro Brendan Cole, who topped the leaderboard with partner Vanessa Bauer.
Of the four judges, Olympic legend Jayne Torvill scored Kimberly the lowest.
Michael Jackson has the moonwalk, but in Pussycat Dolls I created the standing oversplit and now it’s become a language among dancers around the world.
Kimberly Wyatt
Kimberly said: “It was genuinely amazing watching Brendan and Vanessa. I’m always looking to her for inspiration because the way she moves on the ice is incredible.
“I’ve been prepared not to be at the top of the leaderboard. Looking back and trying to process it, I’m so proud of how far I have come.
“Jayne gave me the lowest score and her face in that moment — it’s been embedded in my head.
“It was, ‘Let’s see more, the work isn’t done, you’ve got to expand, you’ve got to get over your nerves’.
“And I was like, ‘I get it, the work is not done’.”
Her Dolls bandmate Ashley Roberts was cheering her on in the studio but there was no sign of fellow Doll Nicole Scherzinger.
Last week their bandmates Jessica Sutta and Carmit Bachar claimed they had learned the Dolls’ postponed 2020 reunion tour had been called off entirely — after lead singer Nicole announced the news on social media.
Kimberly said there were “tears on the ice” when she heard.
But she added: “It meant the world to me to have Ashley there in the studio, and I had a real chat with Nicole sort of a week before. She was rooting me on and excited for me to shine.
“I can never give up hope on the Dolls. We accomplished so much together and you can’t deny that energy and that sisterhood on stage.
“When the fans had to be refunded and the tour cancelled, I was heartbroken, but I do understand. I’m still hopeful us girls in some capacity will get together and do something amazing again at some point.”
Her main focus now is Dancing On Ice and the death-defying headbanger.
It is banned from figure skating and the earliest it has been attempted on the show is week five.
Does Kimberly aim to break that record?
She said with a laugh: “When it comes to stuff like that, I’m so game. I love big challenges and throwing myself into stuff I’ve been scared about. So yeah, honestly I’d go for it.”
- Dancing On Ice is on ITV at 6.30pm tomorrow.
