Yes these celebrities must stop talking about their private lives.

I totally support Coleen who is a size 8 and is married to Ray and the fact she cannot give up smoking and that she doesn't speak to her sister and her personal battles against her father and her ex marriage to Shane Ritchie, and the fact her son is no longer a virgin.

Celebrities should keep things private.

I suspect Coleen does get a lot of validation for her views, just as she did last year when she was going on about how she was trying and how mean the judges were. There are still plenty of people who strongly dislike Heather, after all, and who would not hold back from using any mention of her disability as a weapon against her.

That does nothing to make Coleen's comments any more acceptable, though, or stop them from being hypocritical.

I don't know all about it, certainly not how much skating she could do.


I don't think it's a sob story. Overcoming a difficulty, what she has to do, and what the limitations are -- that's not a sob story. She comes across as competent and determined in those parts of DOI, rather than as someone needing sympathy.

It could become annoying if the show keeps putting so much focus on her leg, but that would be the producers' fault, or the judge's or the presenter's, rather than hers.

I'm not particularly a fan of Heather Mills and I also think that it's time DOI stops focusing on her leg and starts focusing on Heather-the-person instead (there's more to her than a prosthetic leg, I'm sure) but, in her favour, I have to say that at least she's willing to put in the work and make an effort, unlike Coleen who just coasted along on the strength of being a Loose Woman. I'd far rather watch someone who's determined to do her best than someone who moans incessantly.

Coleen still hasn't got over Jason criticising her last year and she seems to have taken it personally, even though he was actually nicer to her than he has been to many others. I wish she'd shut up and I wish even more that ITV hadn't offered her this presenting job

The Sun said Melinda had other Five presenting jobs to go to I think. I thought she was fine on Live From Studio Five - though she was sometimes a bit suggestive for pre 1900. I heard more innuendo though on Blue Peter in some recent incarnations before the current team took over . Kate Walsh, as the Apprentice showed, combines looking lively with being very careful what what she says, but they looked a great pairing - almost like sisters bookending their presentation desk. I should think Melinda would have been fine on a Friday on Ice show and she could actully have skated out onto the ice and explained moves.

Not sure where the young audiences are? I thought talent and reality shows wanted them but the voting suggests few apart from X factor are attracting them. You would think that Colleen's audience is going to be watching anyway and you might want someone presenting to bring in more males and young people?

Agreed! If she stopped all mention of it, they (presenters and judges) would still go on and on about it. So she can't win either way.

That is her angle: She is a one legged skater: If she didn't mention it, the programme makers sure would at every opportunity.

Remember Andy the BINMAN? Or anyone on X factor who has had someone die in their family?

These are the things that the media think we want - That is how the likes of Katie Price continue. You can try and ignore her all you like, but they have decided that we want to hear about her. A bit like Nolan!

And while I can understand them going on about it the first few weeks, it's now time they shut up and move past it. Not that they will, of course, but they should.

I remember Geraldine, R Wayne (and r nan) and 2 up 2 down from Peter Kay's Britain's Got The Pop Factor - ... And Possibly A New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly On Ice
They all had a story to tell.

A possible alternative to Colleen could be Andrea McLean - she too appeared on the show and presented DOI extra during the first series (after she made her exit.)

Yup, I'd be pleased with either Andrea or Melinda Messenger presenting DOI on Friday. They're both far better than Coleen.

Me too (happy new year btw memmh!) - so many people would be better than Coleen (and Ben!).

Happy new year to you too, Buddy. Hope you're ok

Yeah, I do try most of the time not to slag people off and to give them a fair chance but I went off Coleen big-time during DOI last year and nothing since then has caused me to change my mind about her. Quite the opposite in fact. Whereas I like both Andrea (despite the fact that she's a Loose Woman) and Melinda. Perhaps it might be a little bit too long since Andrea was on DOI for them to bring her back as presenter but I think Melinda would be very good. I don't see why it needs two presenters though, except when one of them goes down to the rink.

Completely agree!

Being a one-legged ice-dance contestant is Heather's USP, so obviously they are going to focus on it, but she is a very strong-minded woman not afraid to speak up for herself, so I would expect her to say - sooner rather than later - 'Enough about the leg, there's more to me than that.' I don't like Heather one bit but, credit where it's due, she's got far more determination than La Nolan.

Excuse my ignorance but what does USP stand for, please?

A Unique Selling Point - it's a marketing term.

Thanks and sorry

No problem - happy to help & all that.

I agree that the presenters and the media are as much to blame on this. (And it's a much discussed subject on DS too.) It seems to be an ok subject for other people to discuss but not for the person whom it most affects.

Having said that, it might be good for Heather politically if she changed the subject when asked about her leg.

Very reasonable VL.

I remember it was Jason who specifically asked Heather whether she could turn her leg out when performing the spiral which led to her demonstrating and discussing at length why she couldn't.

I don't think I've ever heard Heather volunteer information or initiate a discussion about the artificial leg as I'm sure she's more than aware that she doesn't want to be seen as coming across as 'milking the situation.'

According to Heather's twitter she is raising funds to get artificial limbs for the injured people in Haiti...a good cause but I hope to God we don't have a tirade from her tonight about it!

Is this the same Coleen Nolan who said that Jedward should resign from The X-Factor because they were crap and were being kept in above better singers by public support? Yeah, I take everything she says as being incredibly well-informed and not even slightly hypocritical...

It's about time someone spoke out about her. She's even going on about her bloody leg now. No doubt the judges will enjoy a nice game of 'Be Nice to the Cripple' again this week. The sooner she goes the better.

What about her getting 'molested' by a 'showbusiness personality' ?

Karen glued her leg on, so I hope she used Araldite then it won't ever come off again

She speaks very highly of you!!! (lol)

JJ