found this from the mirror (paper)
10 February 2006
EXCLUSIVE: I'M SKATING ON THIN ICE
EXCLUSIVE Stefan Booth on sequins, love and those TV tears
By Victoria Kennedy
HE'S come bottom for three weeks in a row, been reduced to tears on live TV and only narrowly escaped being booted off Dancing On Ice.
So no one is more surprised than Stefan Booth that he is now being tipped to win the hit ITV1 show.
The former Bill star only just survived last Saturday's tense skate-off with Dr Who's John Barrowman - and, overwhelmed with joy and relief, he promptly bawled his eyes out.
"I feel like the cat with nine lives," says Stefan, 26. "I'm just wondering how much longer it can last.
"I'd love not to be in the bottom two for one week. The skate-off is a shocking place to be. Someone asked me the other day, 'Do you feel really unpopular that you keep ending up in the bottom two?' But it's hard to compete with the likes of David Seaman and Kelly Holmes. They're established sports stars and I'm just some actor from Hollyoaks and The Bill...
"For the third time running last week I thought, 'Not again'. It all got too much so I burst into tears.
"It's unusual for me to cry like that. I'm an emotional guy but the pressure got too much. I'm not ashamed, I just hope I didn't look like a big crybaby."
Far from being embarrassed by blubbing in public, Stefan admits he came over all emotional again when he watched it later on video.
In fact, he's much more self-conscious about the rather camp, sequinned outfits he's had to squeeze into for his performances in the rink with professional skater Kristina Cousins - even though as The Bill's gay copper Sgt Mark Rollins, he wore a salmon pink suit for his fictional wedding day in January 2005.
"I'm no stranger to wearing stuff I'm not comfortable in because I'm an actor," laughs Stefan. "But they have put me in some daring outfits on this show, though.
"I did raise my eyebrows with last week's outfit. I wasn't wearing much, it was like they'd spent the clothing budget on someone else.
"I also caused controversy by wearing pink Lycra but it's ice skating, you can't go out looking boring."
One item of clothing he refuses to wear is a box to protect his groin.
"There was one move where instead of flipping over and landing on my toes I was landing on my groin - obviously, after getting it wrong a few times you know about it," he says.
"The judge suggested I wear a box, but I didn't. So if people are insinuating it's not real then they're wrong. And in another move, Kristina had to put her knee near my groin. If there was one slip... but I don't think I need to worry about my fertility being damaged."
Stefan first found fame as woman-iser Jamie Nash in Channel 4's teen soap Hollyoaks. As well as The Bill, he has since appeared in William And Mary, Hell's Kitchen and the TV drama Breakwater.
It was while filming the latter, in Mauritius three years ago, that he met his girlfriend, Debbie Flett. At the time they were both seeing other people, but when those relationships ended their friendship blossomed into something deeper.
"It's the longest and most stable relationship I've been in in my life," reveals Stefan. "I'm just enjoying it for what it is and the fact that I'm with a beautiful girl and a fantastic person.
"I've never had or wanted to find the time before because I've been really focused on working hard."
He and Debbie - a 27-year-old model who featured in the Virgin Cola ads - share a home in London. But don't hold your breath for the sound of wedding bells.
"People have asked me if I'll get down on one knee and propose on the ice if I won the show, but that's so contrived," says Stefan. "If I was ever thinking about doing it, I'd do it somewhere private.
"We're are talking about marriage like any couple in a healthy relationship, but we're not ready. Life's a tornado at the moment."
His current training regime sees him skating for up to six hours a day, six days a week - which leaves little time for anything else.
"I haven't seen much of Debbie recently," he says. "From time to time we manage to catch up but it's not easy. She's been really patient and she's got a heart of gold - I'm a lucky guy.
"She and the whole family have been really supportive. I've rarely seen my mum and dad so happy. I was more nervous performing in front of them than 11.5 million viewers.
"It's like when you're a kid and they come to see you in a school play and you just think, 'I hope I don't cock it up'."
Stefan has also grown close to his skating partner, who he thinks of as a "special friend".
He says: "Kristina is just so calm. She'll say things like, 'If you drop me during this move I won't be able to put my arms out and I'll break my neck. So if you don't mind being careful on your blades when we do this.'
"Can you imagine? I'm thinking that it's live TV and the nation's watching - the last thing I want to be worrying about is breaking my partner's neck."
I'm not ashamed but' I hope I didn't look like a big cry-baby
Quote:
“He says: "Kristina is just so calm. She'll say things like, 'If you drop me during this move I won't be able to put my arms out and I'll break my neck. So if you don't mind being careful on your blades when we do this.”
that made me laugh lol
