Dancing on Ice with glamorous Christine Bleakley

After a professionally challenging 18 months, Christine Bleakley starts phase two of her career at ITV this Sunday when she replaces Holly Willoughby as Phillip Schofield’s glamorous co-host on Dancing On Ice.

Top brass on the channel believe the fiancée of britain footballer Frank Lampard has what it takes to become a celebrity of its primetime schedule.

Executives realised the ex-Daybreak presenter needed a high-profile role after she excelled while hosting the demanding live broadcast of the ITV Movie Awards on her own last year.

However, for your time before that, Christine’s career hung inside the balance after an unprecedented and damaging briefing campaign against her by former colleagues on the BBC.

When the then host of The single Show admitted she was considering leaving the Corporation in the summertime of 2010 to follow her co-presenter Adrian Chiles  to ITV, BBC management decided to make an example of Christine.

Senior members of the infamous BBC spin machine, highly-paid communications executives whose job is to give protection to the general public image of the corporation, went out of ways to portray her as a ‘wannabe WAG’ who desires to become ‘the subsequent Posh Spice’.

I have known Christine for a few years and sat in her support boat during her remarkable charity water-ski around the Channel, so I knew the claims concerning the down-to-earth Northern Irish 32-year-old were preposterous.

However, they seemingly did their job by turning Christine’s departure — actually a case of significant  management failure on the Beeb — right into a political victory.

The WAG label stuck with Christine, and  some believe it was a part of the explanation behind her departure from Daybreak. After I saw Christine again recently, I asked if she was angry about how she was characterised by her BBC employers.

‘i’ve been told what was said, but I don’t know all of the details,’ she admitted. ‘i feel numerous  people had their very own agendas and that i got caught up within the flurry.’

As for the luxury Spice claims, she responded furiously: ‘Well, anyone who knew me knew it was complete and utter nonsense. Nonetheless it appeared like a juicy little tale.’

Christine also believes the point of interest incorrectly put on money in her decision to change channels was very harmful.

‘These huge figures were being bandied around about me. I never referred to money to anyone; i feel it’s bad form.’ Christine stresses that she still pays her own way, has her own flat and supports relatives.

‘People want me to be bitter, but I’m not,’ she adds. ‘I still have many friends on the BBC, but i’m very content where i’m — ITV was excellent to me.’

For now, Christine’s attention is concentrated on her partnership with Mr Schofield on Dancing On Ice. ‘Obviously Phillip is the boss so far as I’m concerned. I’m happy to benefit from him at the show.’

Looking good: Harry, left, and Dougie of McFly have crossover appeal

The
double victory by McFly stars Harry Judd and Dougie Poynter on Strictly
Come Dancing and that i’m a celeb . . . respectively has made the band
one of the crucial hottest properties in TV.

Major broadcasters, including the BBC and ITV, have expressed an interest in signing McFly, possibly for his or her own Saturday night variety show.

Executives believe the clean-cut quartet — also made of Danny Jones and Tom Fletcher — have the appeal  to become an Osmonds-style crossover act.

My source with regards to the band confirms: ‘There was significant interest from the foremost broadcasters and lots of production companies a couple of show.’

McFly have decided take into consideration their plans over the following couple of weeks while Harry is at the Strictly Come Dancing tour after which decide what to do.

The defection of Alesha Dixon from Strictly Come Dancing to Britain’s Got Talent came as an incredible shock to BBC bosses . . . nevertheless it shouldn’t have.

Simon Cowell’s company Syco spent months looking to woo the singer. Cowell is assumed to have met her secretly when he was within the UK to launch Red Or Black.

Although Strictly fans are clamouring for Arlene Phillips to go back, a BBC insider says: ‘We don’t would like to risk another age discrimination scandal, however the new judge must be relevant to a large audience.’

The move means Dannii Minogue has again been passed over within the cold by Cowell. The pair were in talks about her taking the BGT role in November. 

Then the telephone stopped ringing. Dannii is expounded to be disappointed that she won’t be returning to primetime TV within the UK.

‘Crazy decision’: The preferred BBC show won’t return

The BBC has no plans to make a brand new series of Friday night family comedy Outnumbered, despite record ratings.

The comedy, which follows the antics of the Brockman family, attracted greater than seven million viewers for its Christmas Eve episode.

Some bosses believe the improvisation from the infant actors – the fantastic Tyger Drew-Honey, 15, Daniel Roche, 12, and Ramona Marquez, ten (pictured right) – were more charming after they were younger.

‘It’s a crazy decision,’ my source laments. ‘There’s a huge demand for the show.’

Recently I wrote about how industry bosses believe ‘nasty’ TV is at the way out, as ‘nice’ programming gets the ratings during economic uncertainty.

A living proof was ITV’s broadcast of It’ll Be Alright At the Night — a 37-year-old format — which achieved its best ratings in six years, with greater than 5.2 million tuning in.