Adele Roberts bravely returned to Dancing On Ice this weekend, following a personal tragedy.
The 44-year-old former BBC Radio 1 broadcaster said after her debut performance last week that her mother had died, explaining why she was so upset on television.
Adele and her professional partner Mark Hanretty returned to the rink on Sunday for Movie Week, skating to Matrix-inspired choreography.
Adele appeared completely altered and unrecognisable with a black wig, black lipstick, and, of course, sunglasses.
She nailed all of her spins and complicated lifts, achieving a very outstanding score that put her equal second on the scoreboard.
Ashley Banjo scored 7.5, while Oti Mabuse both scored 7.5.
Jayne Torvill gave Adele and Mark sevens, as did Christopher Dean, increasing her score to 29 out of a possible 40.
Reacting to Adele’s performance, viewers rushed to X to express their excitement, rooting for Adele to go to the final.
User micheleshopland wrote: ‘OMG Adele is amazing on the ice, just a natural.’
‘Adele is INCREDIBLE’, penned JamesConlon_.
‘LOVE LOVE LOVE Adele! She is amazing! So proud of her a true inspiration’, wrote RyanTheSoapking.
‘Adele is our main hope to break the male winning streak come on’, wrote tvreality93.
Adele has had a difficult few weeks, and she revealed last Sunday that her ice debut was an homage to her late mother, Jackie Roberts, who died on January 4.
Alongside a series of heartbreaking pictures, she wrote in her lengthy caption: ‘I didn’t want to say anything until I’d managed to get through our routine tonight. So apologies if it seemed I was overly emotional. My heart is broken and I miss my mum so much.
‘Saying goodbye to her this week was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. My mum got to see the start of our routine… and tonight I wanted to finish it in her honour.’
She continued with a sweet message to her family: ‘Thank you for keeping my head up and for giving me the strength to carry on. Thank you also to all the amazing people who came to help us say goodbye to her this week. You brought us so much comfort standing by our side.’
‘Thank you to the whole incredible Dancing On Ice team for guiding me through one of the toughest weeks of my life,’ she added, shouting out her pro partner Mark specifically.
‘I know how much you wanted to help me do my mum proud and I know it would have been playing on your mind all night. You are incredible,’ she wrote. ‘Thank you for teaching me to dance, to skate and joy of expressing emotion through my body. Your sport is so beautiful. I still can’t believe tonight happened.’
Adele concluded by thanking those who voted for them and hailed her mum as her ‘biggest supporter from day one’.
‘I shall think of you and miss you every day of my life,’ she signed off.
‘Forever my hero. Until we meet again.’
The former I’m A Celebrity star was inundated with supportive messages from her co-stars and colleagues, with judge Oti commenting: ‘She would be so proud of you 👏🏾❤️’
‘So so sorry for your loss Adele. Sending so much love to you ❤️’, said Vick Hope.
‘Sending you so much love and compassion. So sorry for your loss’, penned Michelle Visage.
Brilliant bit of solo skating from Adele at the start. She’s the best female competitor #DancingOnIce
— Baroness Beckie (@Beckie_Miller_) January 28, 2024
Adele is INCREDIBLE #dancingonice
— JC (@JamesConlon_) January 28, 2024
LOVE LOVE LOVE Adele! She is amazing! ❤️❤️. So proud of her a true inspiration. #DancingOnIce @AdeleRoberts @Mark_Hanretty pic.twitter.com/hQlAhLuXIR
— Ryan Glendenning (@RyanTheSoapking) January 28, 2024
Adele is the most talented female contestant we’ve seen on this show since the reboot, if anyone’s going to break the men’s winning streak it’s her #DancingOnIce
— katy 🪽 (@cashmerekisses) January 28, 2024
‘You did her so proud tonight’, added fellow DOI contestant Ryan Thomas.
Adele’s battling spirit lives on, as she shed tears in her VT today after hearing how her presence on the show has inspired others.
Adele is the first Dancing on Ice contestant to compete with a stoma bag, which she has been using since 2021, when she was diagnosed with colon cancer.
Dancing On Ice airs Sundays on ITV1 and ITVX.
