Dancing On Ice has beaten BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing to introduce a same-sex couple in its show, in a landmark move for ITV.

The show’s same-sex pairing will be Steps’ Ian “H” Watkins and he will skate and dance with Matt Evers, who came out as gay in 2016.

A source told Digital Spy: “After conversations with the Dancing on Ice production team, H enquired as to the possibility of being paired with a male professional skater.

“Dancing on Ice were fully supportive of a same-sex partnership and as such this year H will be paired with Matt Evers.”

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Same-sex couples have proved a controversial subject in previous years for TV shows which usually have opposite-sex couples dancing. Strictly Come Dancing has repeatedly faced calls for gay couples to take part, but producers have always stayed clear from allowing gay contestants to dances with same-sex professionals.

Dancing On Ice returns to ITV in January 2020.