ITV Dancing on Ice: Regan Gascoigne's relationship with dad Gazza, from feud to bonding over OCD

Regan Gascoigne is one of the celebrities set to take to the rink to perform for the very first time in tonight's (January 23) Dancing on Ice.

The ballet dancer, 25, and his professional partner Karina Manta will make their ice dancing debut to Sam Smith's 'Too Good at Goodbyes'.

As the son of former England midfielder Paul Gascoigne, Regan has grown up under the spotlight, with his previously strained relationship with his dad well-documented over the years.

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Paul, who played for Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and England, has famously battled mental health issues and alcohol addiction, leaving his family when Regan was still just a baby.

Appearing in a documentary when he was 12, Regan admitted: "If I could wish, I’d wish that he would go away from us. He’s probably going to die soon.

"Because he’s the top player doesn’t mean he’s a good dad or good person to be with, does it, really?"

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The father and son have managed to repair their relationship over the years, however, with Gazza telling The Sun earlier this month that they've left the past behind and now spend time together "as mates".

They bonded over their shared obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) diagnosis, with Paul also supporting his son when he came out as bisexual in 2019.

"It didn’t bother us one bit," said Paul. "It’s just who he is and that’s the end of it, it’s not a problem. Why should it be? Even if he was having an affair with a dolphin, it still wouldn’t bother us."

Tonight's instalment of Dancing on Ice will see Regan, Stef Reid, Liberty Poole, Ben Foden and Connor Ball perform for the first time in this series.

Judges Oti Mabuse, Jayne Torvill, Christopher Dean and Ashley Banjo will score each couple out of 40, with the lowest-scoring contestants at risk of facing Ria Hebden in the first skate-off.

Dancing on Ice airs on Sundays at 6.30pm on ITV and ITV Hub

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